An “overwhelming majority” of Bermudians want to be able to register their vehicles, pay parking tickets and access other Government services through the Internet, according to Government-commissioned surveys.

“The very positive results of these surveys confirm that Government is on the right track in the pursuit of electronic government or e-government,” Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb is quoted as saying in a Government Information Services (GIS) press statement.

The surveys, conducted in October and November last year, revealed that 71 percent of Bermudians indicated a “strong interest” in having Government services available online, according to GIS.

“So, Bermuda is well placed to move forward with e-government,” Ms Webb said. “Not only did we learn that people want these services, but we know they have the equipment to access them. Bermuda has one of the highest rates of Internet penetration by household at 64 percent.

“Ninety percent of our businesses are also online. Bermuda is therefore in a prime position to adopt e-government. We have a higher Internet penetration rate than Sweden, Australia and Singapore, who are generally considered to be e-government leaders.”

Three groups were surveyed - the general public, Civil servants with e-mail addresses, and the business community.

“We learned that citizens are most interested in registering their vehicles online, followed by applying for licences and permits, voter registration, and then payment of parking tickets online,” Ms Webb continued.

“Electronic government offers the potential to radically improve the way Government interacts with the public.”

More than half of the companies surveyed said they were interested in transacting with Government on the Internet, according to the release.

And 63 percent of Civil Servants are familiar with the Internet and use it daily at work. The majority - 75 percent- said they were interested in enhancing their computer skills.

“The surveys have also identified some of the concerns of Internet transactions. These were consistent for all three groups - namely, security, reliability and privacy,” said the Minister.

“We have taken note of these concerns and will address these issues in the development of our e-government strategy.”