QR ‘override’ option to ease snags

A new feature introduced yesterday (19) aims to resolve difficulties faced by the public in obtaining fuel QR codes, particularly where the mobile number used for the original vehicle registration is no longer in use.

Many users, especially those who had purchased vehicles or changed phone numbers, were unable to reset or override existing registrations and re-register under new numbers. The Digital Economy Ministry said the updated system removes these barriers, allowing users to obtain QR codes more easily.

Under the new method, users can verify a vehicle by entering the correct vehicle and chassis numbers. Even if the vehicle is registered under another phone number, they can cancel the existing registration and re-register it under their own number. Selecting the ‘override’ option deletes the previous account and data, immediately activating a new account. Once this process is completed, the previous user loses all access and privileges linked to the vehicle. This is expected to ease access to QR codes, particularly for vehicles registered under inactive numbers or previous owners.

Meanwhile, the Motor Traffic Department (MTD) has clarified the documents that can be used to verify a vehicle’s identity when obtaining fuel under the National Fuel Pass (NFP) system. These include the vehicle revenue licence, registration certificate, insurance certificate, and emission test certificate.

The MTD’s Commissioner General also noted that number plates have not been issued in recent days due to procurement issues. As a result, some vehicle owners are using alternative number plates, and in such cases, one of the accepted documents can be submitted for verification.

Transport and Highways Minister Bimal Rathnayake said issues related to obtaining QR codes are expected to be resolved by today (20). He explained that the problems mainly affected those with old vehicles using new phone numbers, and new vehicles linked to old numbers, while no issues were reported among users with matching vehicle and phone number combinations.

Around seven million users registered under the QR system in 2023, a figure expected to increase to 7.2 million this year, with about 5.5 million currently registered. Rathnayake also said that approximately 2.7 million outdated records were removed from the database over two days.

Responding to a question in Parliament, he noted that fuel consumption in some districts has nearly doubled, with certain fuel stations selling up to two and a half times their normal volumes, placing pressure on storage and distribution.

He urged the public not to panic, expressing confidence that the situation would stabilise by today. The odd-even fuel distribution system was introduced to ease pressure, although he maintained that the QR system alone is capable of managing distribution efficiently.

He further clarified that vehicle owners without number plates can still obtain fuel by presenting any one of the accepted documents, as all contain the vehicle number.

Source  - The Morning