A new API integration between FixMyStreet Pro and the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service (VES) enables reports of abandoned vehicles to be triaged according to whether the vehicle is taxed or not, helping authorities to reduce avoidable contact and process reports more efficiently.
Once enabled for an authority’s dedicated version of FixMyStreet Pro, the integration with the VES adds a new step into the reporting process for abandoned vehicles. Users are asked to provide the registration number (if known) of the vehicle they want to report, which then calls on the VES API to check the tax status of the vehicle in question.
Depending on the recipient authority’s criteria for accepting abandoned vehicle reports, FixMyStreet Pro can either share information with the user and disable the form, or include information from the VES about the vehicle before guiding the user through some additional questions to help support the report’s resolution.
The DVLA VES API integration is available to all FixMyStreet Pro clients, and can be customised according to individual processes for responding to reports of abandoned vehicles.
Bristol City Council, for example, only wants to receive abandoned vehicle reports for vehicles that are not taxed, whereas other authorities may still want to know about them, even if they may not be able to action a resolution.
Once a user has provided the vehicle’s registration number, Bristol City Council’s FixMyStreet Pro fetches information about the vehicle from the VES. If the vehicle is untaxed, the user will be able to continue with the report. The integration automatically pulls the vehicle’s details into the form to help speed up the reporting process and ensure information passed on to enforcement teams is accurate.
On the other hand, if the vehicle is taxed the report form will be locked and the user will be advised of how else to seek support.
If the vehicle registration number is not known by the user, they can still make a report, but it will be logged as such and the user will need to manually input details about the vehicle.
In some cases, the location of the vehicle and/or the subcategory selected for the report dictates which authority is responsible for responding, regardless of tax status. Bristol City Council uses FixMyStreet Pro’s site messaging feature to inform users as appropriate and signpost to where the user can go to find more information and support.
Angela Dixon, Managing Director at SocietyWorks, said:
“The DVLA VES integration is another great example of FixMyStreet Pro’s commitment to interoperability and to making the reporting of local problems as easy and effective as possible for both report-makers and the authorities receiving them.
“Abandoned vehicles can be a cause of real nuisance to members of the public, so helping to ensure that efforts to report them are not in vain, and that the correct information can be provided at the correct time is essential.”
(Picture: Fix My Street)
