Changes are on the way at the Road Traffic Department that are expected to increase revenue and compliance among motorists.

Minister of Transport, the Hon. Leon Lundy outlined the changes during his contribution to the 2026/2027 budget debate in the House of Assembly this week. Among them is new legislation that will require vehicles brought into the country to have a certificate of title. He said, “this certificate, issued before any vehicle is released from customs control, creates a permanent record of ownership from the moment a vehicle enters this country it must be presented whenever a vehicle change hands. This single measure does more to clean up the secondary vehicle market in The Bahamas than any enforcement campaign ever could. No more shadow transfers. No more untaxed, uninsured vehicles changing hands in the dark. The certificate of title brings every vehicle into the light.”

The proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Act will also bring sweeping changes to the fee structure for vehicle licensing. Lundy said, “class A vehicles weighing up to three thousand pounds will carry a fee of $160.00. Class B vehicles from three to five thousand pounds will carry $215.00 fee. Class C, the heavier commercial range, $610.00 and Class D, our heaviest vehicles, $760.00. For fully electric vehicles, in a deliberate single that this administration is watching the horizon, the fee is set at $125.00.”

In 2025, more than $50 million in revenue was generated by the Road Traffic Department.