CITY police have caught 491 drivers for driving without a license since cameras were installed at inter-provincial check stations last March, police said yesterday.

They were taken off the roads immediately.

Some were driving with too many demerit points, some with suspended or revoked licenses and some with no license due to drug offenses.

They were discovered at 29 interprovincial check stations where a monitoring system was installed in March last year to capture target drivers by matching the police database with real-time pictures of passing drivers behind the wheel.

While the system initially covered only drivers registered in Shanghai and cars with Shanghai plates at the beginning, its scope was expanded in December.

“Drivers with plates issued by other provinces or working for transport companies and thus with no cars linked to their licenses are now also on our radar,” said Xia Liang, head of the technology squad of the Shanghai traffic police. Xia said the technology will potentially cover drivers with their licenses from other provinces. But first, it will focus on those with at least five unpaid fines.