The State That Plans to Issue Digital Drivers’ Licenses

Technology may soon encroach the rite of passage of getting a driver’s license, turning a once antiquated tradition into another digital download.
The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) will begin rolling out a highly secure app that features a resident’s driver’s license next year, according to DOT Director Paul Trombino.
Unveiled at the state agency’s budget meeting, the new app will serve as “an identity vault app” using a pin number for verification, the Des Moines Register reports. The DOT plans to allow the use of  digital licenses during traffic stops and at airport security screenings, but also as a way to reconnect with citizens.

“I think the longer term prospect is if you can really be successful in establishing a driver’s license as an app, it really transforms the way we can interact with the customer,” says Mark Lowe, director of the Motor Vehicle Division at the state’s DOT. “It really becomes instead of a thing in your pocket, it becomes a customer relationship.”

The state agency plans to internally build and test a prototype type over the next six months, according to Government Technology. The goal is to introduce the app as an alternative to temporary permit licenses granted before permanent licenses are mailed out, eventually hoping to replacing traditional licenses as well.

With more residents reliant on smartphones, Trombino contends it’s a logical step in updating government practices. The state agency is exploring other forms of technology through a program to install dashboard cameras on snowplows, an initiative for “paperless construction projects,” more driver’s license kiosks and a new type of bridge building via modular construction. Iowa is also one of more than three dozen states that enables drivers to carry electronic proof of insurance.

Digital licenses also help allay concerns over stolen licenses by eliminating the chance of losing a physical card and introducing more security with the use of biometric data, Lowe adds. Another benefit includes saving time. For example, changing an address wouldn’t require an in-person visit to the DMV, but instead a simple update on the app.
While the agency still has some kinks to work out in developing the app, Lowe contends the idea makes sense for the modern lifestyle.

“It came from us having mobile devices and using them the ways that everybody is using them and really thinking about the possibilities,” Lowe says. “It’s hard to use your device and use it for mobile boarding passes and not think ‘why couldn’t I carry my license this way?’”

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Why More Cities Should Desire Streetcars Like Tucson’s

Last month, residents of Tucson welcomed a new form of transportation: Sun Link, a new line of zero-emission streetcars.
The eco-friendly option connects the University of Arizona campus and Medical Center with the 4th Avenue Business District downtown area, as well as the new Mercado community west of the Interstate, according to a Department of Transportation (DOT) release.
These sleek, modern streetcars may be a nod to the country’s transportation past, but the $196.5 million revival is directed at creating an environmental-friendly, seamless public transit experience in addition to other forms like buses. In fact, the Arizona Public Interest Research Group found that Tucson increased its transit ridership by 25 percent (per capita) over the last five years, Government Technology reports. While a population growth and the millennial generation’s proclivity for public transit are contributing factors, it’s important to see Tucson’s urban planners responding with initiatives like Sun Link.
The Downtown Tuscon Partnership estimates the four-mile route has raked in about $1.5 billion in public and private investments, which includes more than 1,500 new units in housing development, restaurants and retail.
“Roughly 100,000 people live within a half-mile of one of the new Sun Link streetcar stations, and that’s great news for everyone looking for an opportunity to leave their car at home and take transit instead,” said FTA Chief Counsel Carter.
That foot traffic alone is enough to sustain a transit system like Sun Link. In fact, on opening day 17,000 residents boarded the green streetcars.
Sun Link was partially funded by the DOT’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program, while its Portland-based manufacturer, United Streetcar, is supported by the country’s Buy America program, which ensures at least 60 percent of each vehicle bought with taxpayer money is American-made and assembled in the U.S. That means Sun Link’s economic stimulation extends to Portland as well. 
As Government Technology points out, investing in future transit combined with domestic manufacturing incentives is essential to spurring economic development and job growth. Strengthening that concept through the GROW AMERICA Act, which would increase the domestic requirement for transit vehicles to 100 percent by 2019, is one way the more cities can benefit from a system like Sun Link.
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