Transport for London has completed a project working in partnership with SocietyWorks to digitise all of its highway licence application forms, using the same intuitive and user-friendly technology behind its existing highway fault reporting service, Streetcare, which is powered by FixMyStreet Pro.
The new forms, built using our new FixMyStreet Forms offering, replace Microsoft Word forms with an online interface through which applicants can submit applications for highway licences without needing to manually download, complete and send each application.
Users can now complete online applications for highway licences from TfL covering everything from scaffolds and skips to the installation of artwork and lights in trees.
Mapped to correspond to the individual process behind each licence, users are guided through a simple workflow which ensures all the required information is provided at the correct time, making it easier and faster for applicants to submit successful applications.
Licence applications can be completed in one seamless workflow, including making payment where required.
Form submissions and any attachments are sent directly to TfL’s Asset Operations Licensing team, who benefit from the elimination of manual intervention and follow-ups where written responses were unclear.
Where payment is required as part of a highway licence application, users are automatically redirected to Paybylink to complete their payment, before receiving a confirmation and summary of their application.
Users are shown a summary of their answers before submitting. Complete forms are then sent directly to the correct team at TfL for processing, along with any supporting material uploaded into the form and a PDF summary of the application.
Speaking about the project, TfL’s Revenue & Licensing Manager said:
“We approached SocietyWorks while looking for a way to modernise our online licence forms and payments. From the outset, the team were focused on finding the right solution for us, not just selling a product. They worked collaboratively throughout to turn complex paper processes into intuitive digital forms and their project management, responsiveness and genuine commitment to improving the customer journey has been outstanding.
“We’re now moving from a previously frustrating customer experience to what we believe will be one of the best.”
Angela Dixon, Managing Director at SocietyWorks, said:
“Over the last two decades, we have seen time and again how it is often the most simple digital transitions that create the most impactful transformation for authorities and the people they serve.
“It has been wonderful to have TfL’s trust in supporting the digitisation of its online forms, giving users the same quality of online experience when applying for a highway licence as they have come to expect when reporting a problem on the highway.”
(Picture: Mikel Broms/Dreamstime.com)
