My experiment with going all-digital kicked off on a positive note with the new Aadhaar app weeks ago. For a period of a few weeks, I decided to leave my wallet behind every time I stepped out, and that included the times I got behind the wheel. The idea of carrying no physical Registration Certificate (RC), no driving licence (DL), or risking the loss of documents. The app that enabled me for my experiment was the Indian government’s mParivahan app, which is available on both Android and iOS. On paper, this sounded promising.
However, with DigiLocker being the ultimate law-validated digital document holder, where does the mParivahan app stand? Is it just a different app for showing your DL and RC documents, or is it more useful to justify its presence on your phone? I went on a small fact-finding mission.
mParivahan app: Where does it find usefulness
The first few days with the mParivahan app were encouraging. During rush hour traffic enforcement checking, the mParivahan app came in handy, showing a copy of the vehicle RC and Driving License. Traffic police personnel in the NCR region readily accepted the digitally verified versions of these documents, thus making it a handy tool on my phone to cooperate with law enforcement.
Once you type in your vehicle details, like engine number, chassis number, and the registration number, the details are stored permanently on the app. However, the app needs a reliable internet connection to verify your biometric data. Additionally, the app offers a QR code for personnel carrying a scanning device.
One of the best features on mParivahan app is the alert system for ID expiry, or for any related document. The app on my device quickly identified the upcoming expiry for the Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC), thus reminding me to get a new certification.
mParivahan offers easy access to vehicle services
The mParivahan app offers access to other crucial vehicle-related activities and information, such as:
– Duplicate RC issuance
– Hypothecation Termination/Continuation
– No Objection Certification
– Vehicle fitness testing,
– Updating mobile number for vehicle RC
– Change in the address of RC
– DL renewal
– DL address change
– International driving permit
– DL extraction
– Duplicate DL issuance
– Mobile number update
– Challan status
– Challan payment
– Verifying challan payment
– Reporting traffic violations around you (in select states only)
Hence, for keeping a tab on recent challans and other vehicle-related documents, the mParivahan app makes itself useful.
Why DigiLocker ends up being the practical daily choice
Unlike mParivahan, which is focused specifically on transport-related documents, DigiLocker has evolved into a broader, more familiar digital identity platform. Many officials are already used to seeing DigiLocker documents for Aadhaar, PAN, or educational certificates. That familiarity translates into faster acceptance even on the road. In multiple interactions with traffic police, simply mentioning DigiLocker reduced friction almost instantly, even if the document itself was essentially the same. I couldn’t see the same acceptance for the mParivahan app.
mParivahan also doesn’t store other crucial related vehicle details like the vehicle insurance document, PUCC, Aadhaar, and more. Hence, I had to rely on DigiLocker once for getting my vehicle papers checked on one commute day.
Is mParivahan worth trying?
The mParivahan app works well when it comes to core vehicle data verification and all other government services related to vehicle registration and challan payment. As such, having the app installed on your smartphone is always a good thing, especially if you deal with vehicle documents frequently.
However, you will also need to keep the DigiLocker app handy for additional vehicle-related documents at times, and hence, there is a lot of scope for the mParivahan app.