What was once promoted as a landmark initiative to modernize Sri Lanka’s vehicle registration system has instead become a symbol of procurement controversy, administrative failure, and mounting public losses. The eMotoring project, spearheaded by the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) with the support of the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), was intended to replace decades-old paper-based processes with a fully digital platform. Years later, however, the system remains largely unimplemented, while costs continue to escalate.
The project was initially estimated to cost approximately Rs. 700 million. However, prolonged delays have left significant public resources idle, while the DMT continues to depend on costly manual processes that require extensive staffing and paperwork. Beyond these direct expenses, the government’s inability to introduce an integrated digital platform has deprived citizens of faster services and delayed the introduction of digital audit trails that could strengthen accountability and reduce opportunities for fraud.
At the centre of the controversy is the project’s procurement process. Investigations and public reports have raised concerns that key software components were awarded without an open and competitive tender. Instead, the contract was reportedly granted directly to Metropolitan Advance Technology (Pvt) Ltd (MATL), a joint venture involving Metropolitan Office Pvt Ltd and the international technology company Face Technologies. Under the 2018 agreement, the government committed to paying Rs. 187.97 per transaction over a five-year operational period, with a guaranteed minimum of 60,000 transactions each month—a contractual arrangement that has drawn scrutiny over value for money and procurement transparency.
Questions have also emerged regarding governance and institutional oversight. According to reports, procurement decisions advanced without adequate coordination through the Ministry of Transport, while key operational divisions within the DMT were reportedly excluded from planning and implementation. The resulting disconnect between policy decisions and operational realities contributed to repeated delays and ultimately stalled the project.
The situation deteriorated further when Face Technologies withdrew from the joint venture before completion of the system. The company’s exit reportedly triggered years of legal disputes and contract renegotiations. As Sri Lanka entered a severe economic crisis, inflation substantially increased implementation costs, with revised estimates reportedly rising to between Rs. 1.5 billion and Rs. 2 billion. These changes required fresh Cabinet approval, pushing the project even further behind schedule.
The delays have also reignited long-standing concerns about corruption within the country’s vehicle registration system. Parliamentary discussions and official statements have suggested that resistance to digitization existed within sections of the DMT, where manual procedures allegedly enabled fraudulent vehicle registrations, manipulation of chassis numbers, and the misclassification of luxury vehicles to avoid substantial taxes. Such practices, investigators argue, are far more difficult to conceal under a fully digitized system.
These concerns were reinforced when the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) referred an investigative dossier to the Attorney General detailing 25 alleged cases of corruption connected to vehicle registration, alongside reports that important investigative records had disappeared.
Today, the eMotoring project stands as more than a delayed IT initiative. It has become a test of Sri Lanka’s commitment to transparent public procurement, institutional accountability, and digital governance. Until longstanding questions surrounding procurement, oversight, and alleged corruption are fully addressed, the promise of a modern, efficient, and transparent vehicle registration system is likely to remain unfulfilled, while taxpayers continue to bear the financial cost of delay.