The Transport Department on Saturday said it received almost 37,000 online applications for vehicle licence renewals in the first two months of the year, a more than 80 percent year-on-year increase.

The department rolled out an enhanced scheme in December last year to simplify the licensing process.

Following the change, the vehicle licence is no longer printed with an expiry date, so vehicle owners don't need to replace it with a new one after each renewal.

A QR code is printed on the licence instead, allowing vehicle owners to scan and check their expiry date.

Vehicle owners also no longer need to present the vehicle registration document when applying for a licence renewal. They can even skip uploading their third-party insurance certificate if the application is made online.

Currently, the department has issued more than 190,000 such new vehicle licences.