Michael Ferguson,Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
The Tasmanian Liberal Government has reformed the licencing system to make it cheaper and easier to get a driver’s licence.
Now, we’ve created a new phone app called Plates Plus to allow learner drivers to record their lessons and practice hours as soon as each session is finished.
The Plates Plus e-Logbook is the latest improvement to our licensing system, streamlining the process for Tasmania’s 6,500 young and new drivers progressing to a full licence each year.
The free mobile app allows learner drivers to record their supervised driving hours in just a few taps and removes the need to bring along and maintain the old paper-based record.
It stores records of driving hours in an easy to understand digital format and clearly shows how many credit hours have been undertaken with a certified driving instructor and how many have been done with a parent or other supervising driver.
The app will automatically add the learner’s total hours so they can easily keep track of their progress. Supervising driver and driving instructor details are saved in the app so they can easily sign off each trip.
The app will also notify learners once their logbook requirements are completed, so they just need to bring their phone to their P1 practical driving assessment.
For current learners, supervised hours already logged in the paper learner logbook can be uploaded to the app so there is no need to restart the learning process. The paper logbooks will continue to be available, so learners can choose whether to use the e-Logbook or the hard copy booklet.
The app is available for free download today from both the Google Play and Apple stores.
The e-Logbook is a key part of the enhanced Graduated Licensing System initiative which makes it more convenient, cheaper – yet safer – to get a driver’s licence. Other improvements included fewer visits to Service Tasmania, streamlining of L1 and L2 into one Learner stage, increased supervised hours, free lessons under the Plates Plus and Keys2Drive program and a potential reduction in licence fees of $189 through the Safer Driver Reward.
