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The Road Safety and Transport Act of Bhutan, 1999 is the principal statute governing vehicle registration, driver licensing, road-safety standards, public-transport regulation, and traffic offences in Bhutan. It was enacted by the National Assembly under the 1953 Tshogdu, before the country's transition to a constitutional democracy.^[1]

The Act established the Road Safety and Transport Authority (RSTA) as the autonomous regulator responsible for the implementation of the Act and the framing of subsidiary regulations. RSTA functioned as an autonomous authority for over two decades. Following the Civil Service Reform Act of Bhutan 2022, RSTA's functions were reorganised: most of its mandate was integrated into the new Department of Surface Transport under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, while a separate Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority took on regulatory functions in transport and construction.^[2]

The Act remains the principal substantive legislation in this field and is now applied by the Department of Surface Transport and the Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority under the framework of the Road Safety and Transport Regulations 2021, which came into force on 1 July 2022.^[3]

Key Provisions

The Act covers the registration and inspection of motor vehicles; the issuance, renewal, suspension, and cancellation of driver licences; emissions and roadworthiness standards; the regulation of public-service vehicles, including taxis and inter-district buses; and traffic offences and their associated penalties.^[1]

The Act creates an offence regime that includes drink-driving, speeding, driving without a valid licence, driving an unregistered vehicle, and various non-conformities in commercial public-service operation. Penalties range from administrative fines to suspension or cancellation of licences and, for serious offences, criminal prosecution.

2018 and Later Amendments

The Act has been amended on several occasions to keep pace with the growth of motorisation in Bhutan. Amendment proposals in the late 2010s included the introduction of a demerit-point licensing system — under which traffic offences would carry points against a driver's licence rather than only fines — and stricter penalties for drink-driving, including mandatory licence suspension. The Royal Audit Authority's 2022 performance audit on safe and sustainable road transport recommended that RSTA institute a demerit-point system as part of a wider road-safety reform package.^[4]

The Road Safety and Transport Regulations 2021, which replaced the 1999 regulations, streamline motor-vehicle registration and renewals, driver licensing, emission testing, vehicle roadworthiness, and ownership transfer. They also introduced mandatory driver and conductor certificates for passenger buses.^[3]

Road-Safety Record

Bhutan has a relatively small vehicle stock by South Asian standards but, on a per-vehicle and per-capita basis, road-traffic injuries and fatalities remain a significant cause of premature death and disability. A 2017 peer-reviewed study published in the International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion reviewed police records from 2013–2014 and identified speeding, narrow mountain roads, and driver fatigue as leading causes of road-traffic accidents.^[5]

The Global Road Safety Facility country profile for Bhutan and the Asian Transport Observatory's 2025 Bhutan Road Safety Profile both record continuing challenges with road infrastructure on the Lateral Road and the major north–south highways, and they identify motorcyclists as a disproportionately affected category of road user.^[6]

Public-Transport Regulation

The Act provides the framework under which public-service vehicles, including the inter-district bus services operated by the Bhutan Postal Corporation and private operators, are licensed. It also regulates taxi operations in the urban centres of Thimphu, Phuentsholing, and other towns, including fare-setting and route allocation.

Road Safety and Transport Act of Bhutan, 1999

Key Provisions

2018 and Later Amendments

Road-Safety Record

Public-Transport Regulation

See Also

References