Lahore Traffic Police Experimenting With An E-Ticketing System

Your next traffic challaan (fine) will be in a digital format.

You heard it right folks. And the City Traffic Police in Lahore is overseeing an experimental project in this regard right now.

This e-traffic fine system aims to make those gaudy paper challaans a thing of history. And the most major reason behind the adoption of this online system is to curb cases of bribery and malpractice, a routine most Pakistanis are all too accustomed to seeing on a daily basis.

The online system aims to curb cases of bribery and malpractice

According to recent estimates, some 2200 traffic wardens are working day and night to curb traffic violations and maintain smooth traffic on the road. These personnel have been facing punishments relating to the use (and misuse) of the fine books. Some unscrupulous elements go as far as to tamper with the physical records.

Civilians are also inconvenienced at the existing state of affairs. There are times when they return empty handed from traffic sectors, since the police does not give them their confiscated documents on one pretext or another. Even top authorities won’t be able to tamper with the records, which would ease people’s concerns about the system being susceptible to a VIP’s ‘nudge’.

Even VIPs won’t be able to tamper with the records, which would ease people’s concerns about the system being biased

The electronic issuance of fines will ensure that wardens are vigilant and efficient. It can solve all the issues faced by motorists and law-enforcers. The hope is that this digital tamper-proof system of issuing fines will foster in a culture of law-enforcement. People won’t feel that the system is flawed and this can inspire confidence between the police and the citizens.

This system can also ensure that officers on the road do their duty right as everything is electronically logged and filed away. The system will give evaluations based on key performance indicators. The system will possess GPS features, helping track locations on the roads.

The first phase of the project will test the viability of the system for a month

In the first phase of this project, about 20 Android smartphones as well as 20 small printing devices will be provided to the CTP by Punjab Information Technology Board. Chief Traffic Officer Sohail Chaudhry confirmed the figures and added that the system will help in detecting loopholes in traffic policing in a month.

The system will provide wardens with efficient categorization options such as:

  • Type of Vehicle
  • Fine Amount
  • Traffic License status of the offender

All this data can then be printed out with the challaan via the small printing devices on site.

For motorists, the biggest benefit that this system offers is that they will be able to pay the fine on the spot. No longer will they have to dash to the nearest branch of National Bank and wait in lines in order to pay the fine.

It will be the officer’s responsibility to deposit the fine tickets and the amount in their respective sectors. Since the system uses a centralized database system, the officer can’t pocket the challaan as a bribe.

So what do you think folks? Will this system improve the mentality of law enforcers and drivers on the road? Will it inspire confidence in the rule of law on part of errant motorists and sleazy wardens? Share your thoughts below.

Samir is the Head of Entertainment at Lens by ProPakistani. You can reach out to him at samir.ya...


  • agar chalan jma biomatric k zreye ho to sb seaday ho jae ku k ghariyo wakay aik he bnday ko pasay dha kr bajh datay ha wo jma kra k ha jata ha aghar sb ko apna chalan khud jma kranay per majboor kiya jae to bohot acha ho

  • Indeed a gr8 effort…. only hurdle will be the corrupt officers who not want to change the system…. they will act only for failure of this new system. its a bet

  • great step indeed. we need to hire educated people in police department all over Pakistan.

    • Dear why not educate the existing one? think again………… we don’t need new pakistan we need to rectify the error and put the things in a right manner.

      • do you think we have enough time to educate the existing fools? hang those people who hired such illiterate people.

        • wow easy there tiger. Hamari awam ko ilm ki nahi tarbiyat ki ziada zaroorat hai…aap jaisi soch rakhnay waloon ko sab sey ziada tarbiyat ki zaroorat hai nojawan.

      • But there are still millions of vehicles with customised number plates. By enforcement I meant for them to give everyone a 1-2 month time to upgrade to standard number plates. Similar way they give notifications for SIM registration or biometrics.

  • But the major flaw is that traffic warden handles money…this new system shouldn’t involve money….traffic warden ki koi pocket maaray to :P

  • Nice initiative but here is a loop hole!
    The medium between the warden and the phone is still not fool proof!
    A cop holds up a VIP. The phone is not going to detect the violation automatically! ;)
    It will still need the cop to enter the violation in the application. So what if the VIP forces him not to enter at all, just like it is now and may be even offers a bribe even before ticket generation.

    • For that 3CI department is going to work with cameras where they will monitor online and can punish those culprit policemen. but certainly things will come from our side as well when we will identify those wrong deeds.

    • yes you are right VIP culture in this country will not finish as we seen many times in PIA for vip flight delay first of all warden don’t have guts to stop any vip’s even if they do they will get transferred or ……else

  • Police Office – You are fined Rs 1000. But if you give me 300Rs (Chupky Sy) I will not cut an E-Slip.
    Person – Gives 300 Rs.

    Government Ab Kya Kary Gi o.O What we need more is Honest Police Officers. Then this system will be nearly perfect.

    • No offence, but you’re a perfect example of a non-patriotic Pakistani, who always manage to find an excuse!

      I’m not a current govt’s supporter, but if they somehow manage to play a positive role in our environment, we have to appreciate it!

      This is just a testing phase, there is still a lot of room for improvement, and InshaAllah, it will work for everyone.

      • Brother, First read the full comment then make yours, I also said Jb tk Honest Police Officers Nahi Hon gay tab tk aisy kisi system ka faida nai. Quoted example shows the real face of police as well as public.You can’t say some one non-patriotic, if you didn’t like point. I am Proud to be Pakistani.

        • Honest Police officers … yes you have a point .. but we have a role to play as honest citizens as well …

          Apologies for calling you non-patriotic, I have no right to call anyone that word ..

  • This has been going on in Peshawar for quite a while. Payments are made via EasyPaisa or A2Z shops.

  • Finally at last
    An MIS integrated sytem will be in place That will remove a lot of hassle for the general public.
    kudos to implementor
    Goverment should introduce this beta implemention on full scale so that whole pakistan is covered.
    however there will be limitations to it but something is better than nothing (y)

  • I think Govt must bring full fledge traffic system in the country..where all licenses, traffic vehicles registrations and number plates are linked with one citizen number i.e. CNIC number. This way Govt can install automatic cameras to charge on signal crossing violations, tracking all vehicles registrations and catching theft cars in seconds… Small small tweaks won’t be effective and it ends up costly business with no real satisfaction for citizens. Govt must close all shop that print number plates and number plates be controlled full fledge by traffic dept…it is v important.

  • wow, it will reduce bribe and facilitate the user to deposit challan without waiting in rush.

  • This system will only facilitate those who do get fined. Thats about it. Corruption is stopped from within, not by technology and fancy gadgets.

  • Its already in practice in KPK which was first to introduce E-fines to minimize corruption and also facilitate the offenders to avoid courts and police offices follow up.

  • This new e-ticket tactic is also not gonna be successful. Instead, wardens will start accepting bribe money openly and people will think that warden is receiving fine money from offender.

  • what if the offender pays bribe to the officer not to register a challan.. i am talking about ‘ janab kch ly dy k mamla khatam karo’ then this electronic system wont work.. the need is to correct our inside and the system will automaticaly be transparent..

    • There is a solution for this as well which is followed in USA and some European countries. Give traffic police helmets with built-in webcams and keep recording their entire interactions, stream that data to the police headquarters. In case of a bribery claim, the video recordings will be available in the headquarters data warehouse.


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