China officially begins issuing digital driver's licenses

A police officer displays an electronic driver's license at the vehicle management department in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, on Wednesday. The electronic driver's license has the same legal validity as a paper license and its use is being promoted in 28 cities. [Photo/Xinhua]

Digital driver's licenses were issued to more than 2.72 million drivers in China on Sep 1, the first day that the new measure was officially enacted, according to the the traffic management bureau of the Ministry of Public Security.

A total of 28 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xi'an, are the first to implement the new measure. The new digital driver's licenses were issued to drivers through an official mobile app, said the bureau.

Previously, over 1.95 million people have obtained digital driver's licenses through a pilot program launched in the cities of Tianjin, Chengdu and Suzhou on June 1.

Three other new traffic management measures, including one that enables the public to view evidence and materials of traffic accidents online, were enacted on the same day.