The Ministry of Transport is considering gradually replacing government vehicles with energy-saving ones, in order to reduce the financial costs of the fuel allocated to them, in cooperation with the concerned authorities, and work on a complete electronic transformation of all government vehicle tracking services.

According to the Directorate of Tracking and Monitoring Government Vehicles, which is administratively affiliated with the Ministry of Transport, the number of vehicles with an engine of more than 2000 (cc) decreased last year by 23%, offset by an increase in the number of electric vehicles by 20%.

A report by the Ministry of Transport, reviewed by the Kingdom, indicated that the Directorate is seeking, during the current year 2023, to launch an application on smart phones that facilitates users to work on the tracking system at any time and place, in addition to a 100% complete electronic transformation of all tracking services.

It also plans to convert the electronic tracking system onto the cloud system in the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, and link vehicles with modern electronic tracking devices with specifications that support reading fuel rates, meters and any other vehicle data, in addition to electronic linking with the government inventory system with regard to maintenance and supplies for government vehicles.

The Directorate of Tracking and Monitoring Government Vehicles, established in 2015, manages the project of tracking and monitoring government vehicles and vehicles for all ministries, government and public departments, institutions and independent bodies to ensure optimal use while controlling the movement of government vehicles and vehicles to carry out the tasks assigned to them only within the official framework and reduce fuel waste.

The government vehicle tracking project was launched in two phases. The first included the installation, operation and maintenance of 5,000 tracking devices on vehicles, and the second, in 2019, included the supply, installation, operation and maintenance of 8,500 electronic tracking devices on government vehicles.

The Directorate is in the process of issuing a tender for the third phase during the current year (2023), to accommodate the numbers of new vehicles and mechanisms and to replace damaged and old electronic tracking devices.

According to the report of the Ministry of Transport, the Directorate has completed the inclusion of most government vehicles in the electronic tracking system, with 100% of the vehicles scheduled for the first and second phases. And the number of 13,500 vehicles and machinery.

During the past year, the Prime Ministry issued a circular to all government agencies with the need to correct the conditions of government vehicles whose licenses have expired before 2022, otherwise the necessary measures will be taken for vehicles and mechanisms that have not corrected their status.

The Directorate has established an electronic system within the government vehicle tracking system aimed at converting all services provided to government institutions from paper to electronic to increase the speed of completion and raise the level of quality and accuracy in the performance of transactions, as there are 9 electronic services, and they will be transferred later in addition to a number of other services to an application on smart phones during the current year.

The Directorate of Tracking and Monitoring Government Vehicles achieved financial savings exceeding 4.2 million dinars as a result of implementing and activating the Government Vehicle Tracking Project since its inception in 2017, until the end of 2022, at an estimated rate of 27.5% of the total spent as fuel on government vehicles.

The Directorate worked in partnership with the Audit Bureau and the Government Procurement Department to list all government vehicles whose licenses have expired for the purposes of withdrawing them and selling them for the public interest, which contributes to supplying the treasury with other sums of money as a result of the sale.

“The government vehicle tracking system played a major role in counting the government surplus of stagnant vehicles, as more than 450 vehicles were counted, some of which were distributed to the needy parties, and the rest (203) vehicles were transferred for sale in the arena designated for selling and delisting government vehicles,” according to the report.

According to the report, the number of government vehicle violations decreased by 62%, and the number of vehicles operating outside official working hours by 73%, and the percentage of allocating vehicles to employees decreased by 50% in 2022, which achieved savings in fuel consumption, and the time for completing services and technical support decreased by 91% for the same year.

The report indicated that the volume and quality of information and data for vehicles and users of the electronic tracking system increased by 85% in the past year compared to previous years, and the volume of use of the tracking system increased by an estimated 92% in the past year compared to previous years.

Maintenance and installation operations increased by 30% in the past year compared to previous years, based on maintenance plans and principles followed and defining areas for that, while the Directorate plans this year to set foundations and instructions that regulate the operations of securing and maintaining government vehicles to contribute to reducing financial costs for broken-down vehicles that need high maintenance costs.

Last year, the Directorate completed more than 12,500 electronic requests for electronic tracking services related to technical support and maintenance of all kinds from the Government Vehicle Tracking Directorate.

The directorate was also established in the middle of last year; Service (send an inquiry) on the electronic tracking system to send any inquiry related to the electronic tracking system and tracking devices, and any matter related to government vehicles, and the response will be done through the concerned department, in addition to completing the audit project on the vehicles allocated to employees on a regular basis (quarterly / annually) and addressing the concerned authorities about any violations issued by the employees assigned to these vehicles, such as exceeding the amount of fuel allocated or moving without a movement order.

The kingdom