In 2012, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) introduced digital number plates and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, promising modern services such as recovering stolen vehicles, automated toll collection, and vehicle tracking. Over the past 14 years, the agency has supplied digital number plates to more than 5.4 million vehicles and collected over Tk 15.16 billion from vehicle owners.
However, despite collecting such a large amount of money, most vehicle owners have yet to receive even the basic services promised under the initiative.
The digital number plates and RFID tags were supplied without developing the necessary infrastructure and technological coordination, according to allegations. As a result, key objectives such as tracking stolen vehicles and introducing automated toll collection have not been achieved.
Meanwhile, the BRTA has introduced a new requirement making GPS trackers mandatory for public transport vehicles. Transport experts have raised concerns that the new initiative could face the same fate as the RFID project if the necessary infrastructure and coordination are not ensured.
How It Started
The BRTA made digital number plates and RFID tags mandatory for all types of vehicles from October 31, 2012. At the time, the authority said that if a vehicle equipped with a digital number plate was stolen, RFID technology would help track and recover it. The technology was also expected to help identify vehicles used in criminal activities.
The initiative also included plans to introduce automated toll collection at major bridges and flyovers across the country.
The fee for a digital number plate and RFID tag was set at Tk 2,260 for motorcycles and three-wheelers, while owners of four-wheeled vehicles were required to pay Tk 4,628.
Tk 15.16 Billion Collected
According to BRTA data, a total of 5,471,489 RFID-tagged digital number plates had been supplied for different categories of vehicles as of June 2026. Of these, 4,970,869 number plates had been installed on vehicles.
Another 5,620 digital number plates remained at various BRTA circle offices because their owners had not collected or installed them.
The BRTA collected Tk 15.1646 billion from vehicle owners against the supply of these number plates.
Of the total amount, Tk 1.151 billion was collected from 248,744 heavy vehicles. Another Tk 4.319 billion was collected from 933,287 light and medium vehicles.
The largest share—Tk 9.694 billion—was collected from 4,289,458 motorcycles and three-wheelers.
No Infrastructure, No Service
One of the key objectives of introducing digital number plates was to quickly identify and recover stolen vehicles. However, despite the substantial expenditure, the necessary infrastructure has not been developed.
The original plan called for the establishment of 94 checkpoints at important locations across the country. But as of July 29 this year, only 12 checkpoints had been set up, all of them in Dhaka.
The BRTA has also been unable to deploy dedicated manpower to monitor these checkpoints.
Most of the private car and motorcycle owners interviewed in Dhaka said they were unaware of the actual functions of digital number plates and RFID tags.
Subrata Mondal, a physician at Dhaka Medical College, said his motorcycle was stolen and that he had filed a general diary with the police. He also visited the police station several times but failed to recover the vehicle even after more than eight months.
He said he was unaware that digital number plates and RFID technology were intended to help track stolen vehicles.
More Benefits Were Promised
To implement the digital number plate and RFID project, the BRTA signed a 15-year agreement with Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory (BMTF) for the production and maintenance of the plates and tags.
Under the original plan, RFID technology was supposed to provide automated access to information on vehicle registration, fitness certificates and tax tokens.
The RFID chips were also expected to allow vehicles to be scanned from a distance of 11 metres and enable authorities to track their movement. The plan further envisaged a direct digital connection between the BRTA's central server and law enforcement agencies.
However, even after 14 years, no digital connection has been established between the BRTA's central server and the police. As a result, law enforcement agencies cannot use the RFID technology effectively.
Police have instead had to rely on their own technology and sources to prevent crimes and recover stolen vehicles.
Mohammad Niaz Mehedi, an additional deputy commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said police were using their own technology and sources for crime prevention and recovering stolen vehicles because the RFID system was not available to them.
GPS Trackers Now Mandatory for Public Transport
Amid questions over the effectiveness of the RFID project, the BRTA has now made GPS trackers mandatory for public transport vehicles.
The Road Transport and Highways Division issued a notification on June 11, requiring public transport vehicles to install and keep GPS devices operational from August 1.
The BRTA said registration and fitness certificates for public transport vehicles would be issued or renewed only after confirming that the vehicles had functioning GPS devices.
The authority has also asked transport owners and representatives to make the necessary preparations and cooperate in implementing the new directive.
Experts Warn of Repeating the RFID Failure
Transport expert Professor Dr Mohammad Hadiuzzaman said digital number plates and RFID tags were introduced with good intentions, but vehicle owners had not received the promised benefits.
He pointed out that although RFID tags were installed for automated toll collection, RFID readers were not installed at the necessary toll points. As a result, the core objectives of the project remained unfulfilled despite the large expenditure.
He welcomed the government's decision to make GPS trackers mandatory for public transport, but stressed the need to ensure the security of the huge volume of vehicle-related data.
He also called for sincere efforts to achieve the core objectives of the GPS initiative.
Otherwise, he warned, the new GPS system could meet the same fate as the RFID project.