Drivers Angered by Traffic Tickets Despite License Renewals

Drivers in Cyprus are upset about traffic tickets issued for vehicle licenses, even though they had renewed them. The problem lies within the Department of Road Transport (ΤΟΜ) system, where, allegedly, payments were made, but the renewals were not registered.

According to complaints, drivers received €85 traffic tickets from the Traffic Police, despite having paid for their vehicle license renewal. It was found that the Department of Road Transport's system experienced technical issues, resulting in some renewals not being completed.

In some cases, the renewal fees were returned to citizens' accounts, but they were not informed about the failure of the process. As a result, they believed that the renewal had been completed successfully.

Citizens who complained at the Department of Road Transport offices about the extra fine were told that the fine is automatically imposed by the system and there is no possibility of intervention.

The problem is further complicated because the Traffic Police, during checks, identify vehicles with licenses that appear as non-renewed in the system, resulting in traffic tickets being issued to drivers, even though they are convinced that they have paid.

Drivers are now being asked to seek justice by submitting an application to the Department of Road Transport and the Traffic Police to cancel the ticket, a process that even involves the involvement of the Attorney General.

Questions arise as to why the Department of Road Transport, knowing about the problem for more than two months, did not issue a relevant announcement to inform drivers, and why there was no immediate settlement for cases where payment had been made but the renewal was not completed.