[TusharK]

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has announced new regulations for obtaining a driver’s license. Under the new rules, applicants can take their driving tests at privately operated driver training centres instead of RTOs. The new norms will come into effect from June 1, 2024.



The application for a driver’s license can be submitted online through the Parivahan website or in person at the local RTO. Application fees vary depending on the type of license.

The authorized private driving centre will issue a certificate after the driver has successfully passed the test. However, the driver will still have to visit the RTO to submit documents and demonstrate his driving skills. The requisite documents for new licenses have also been reduced to streamline the process.

The government has laid out certain rules for private driving schools as well. The training centres must have at least 1 acre of land and 2 acres for 4-wheeler training. The schools must have access to an appropriate training facility and the trainers must have a high school diploma and a minimum of 5 years of driving experience.

Source: TOI

Link to Team-BHP News

[ksavai]

Originally Posted by TusharK

The government has laid out certain rules for private driving schools as well. The training centres must have at least 1 acre of land and 2 acres for 4-wheeler training. The schools must have access to an appropriate training facility and the trainers must have a high school diploma and a minimum of 5 years of driving experience.

Link to Team-BHP News

In city like mumbai they have 100 sq office. And they want 2 acre of land?

[Turbolove]

Allowing private centres to issue certificates, sounds like something ripe for corruption and allowing non-trained drivers to get licences easily. Not that our current system does a great job right now, however the new centres are just opening up another avenue for abuse.

[melhowl]

Isn't the process already corrupt. New rules thus are not adding any new corruption point. These private institutes infact will helpl in reducing corruption in DL issuance. People will be more inclined to take driving lessons as well as take these lessons seriously. All because these centres will be empowered to certify their skills.
A good step in right direction.

[IYoungAre]

I mostly agree with Turbolove, but here is a counter-idea.

How about making all driving tests (theory & practical) to be managed by private institutions, but with Government oversight.

Document the whole process and digitize all records.
Later on, if people are found to be violating the rules (except minor ones), hold the private institution partly responsible for it (say 10 or 20% for example).

This way, they will tighten on who will pass and end up getting a licence.

I acknowledge that some people will slip through this system too, either by finding loophols or bribing or by asking 'Pata hai mera papa kaun?', but most of the common people will still be judged on their knowledge and skills.

[PreludeSH]

It was similar to this when I got my license in Phoenix US in 1995! The driving school themselves gave a certificate giving me 90% and I presented it to get my DL.

The guy gave me 10% less because I stopped the lessons. He was expecting me to take more sessions to make more money It was good training since he covered everything from parallel parking, to actually demonstrating blind spot etc

[DasAuto1985]

Good news! Now you need not travel to the far off RTO to pay your bribes. You can pay it in the nearby driving centre itself! The driving centres will collate all the bribes, take their cut and pass the rest to the RTO officials. Seamless experience.

[Bhodrolok]

How lovely!

Moving from public, petty corruption to large scale private corruption for road safety. Where do they get these ideas?

[GhostGrid]

When will they stop overwhelming us? I mean, when everybody was expecting that this license-getting process would get strict, they came up with this idea. Amazing.

[It's Magic]

Originally Posted by TusharK

The authorized private driving centre will issue a certificate after the driver has successfully passed the test. However, the driver will still have to visit the RTO to submit documents and demonstrate his driving skills.

Why does an individual need to visit the RTO and demonstrate his driving skills? If they don't have confidence in private centres, why ask them to issue certificates in the first place? So, an individual can get a certificate but can be denied a licence? I'm not sure why they changed the current process. They could have simply hired more staff at the RTO if they were short-staffed.

Originally Posted by ksavai

In city like mumbai they have 100 sq office. And they want 2 acre of land?

Not only in Mumbai, but how many driving schools in all the major cities have 2 acres of land?

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by Bhodrolok

Moving from public, petty corruption to large scale private corruption for road safety. Where do they get these ideas?

People underestimated them when they came up with the idea of banning the 10-15 year old cars to harm the environment by making way to produce more cars for the benefit of the automobile mafias like Musk who is still not satisfied and wants more.

When his E-car card did not take off as expected, he now wants to completely demolish the whatever little left driving etiquette in the country to make the way for autonomous cars, he is now focusing more in the autonomous car tech.

We are already halfway there by allowing the use of dumb-phones on the roads while driving, the law is there to prevent this fatal habit but did anyone see anybody caring about it? Even the cars are coming with big TV screens fitted inside, even scooters joined them. Cars are no more cars, they are now gadget-on-wheels.

People brains are programmed and trained in such a way that they now care about the gadget part only, nobody takes the wheels part seriously, majority of the road users are alive on the mercy of others on the roads.

Now either the private driving license system will drastically reduce the number of driving license issuance or it will become too much liberal, either way its gonna benefit the autonomous cars.

Unfortunately we elect masters instead of servants in our democracy who are actually slaves in the hands of the international capitalist mafias, and both of them can go to any extent for their own profit and power.

[funkykar]

Originally Posted by TusharK

However, the driver will still have to visit the RTO to submit documents and demonstrate his driving skills.

Is this a mistake in reporting? This is contradicting completely. Why do applicants have to visit a private driving school for a test if they anyway have to take the text at the RTO.

[Samarth 619]

On the flip side, even some of us bikers and car enthusiasts (what's the precise word for CE?) may be able to open up such centers and do a fine job at it.

We always complained of RTO not doing their job well, but hey, today you have a choice in the matter.
So overall, its a good decision, although avenues for corruption have always existed and maybe always will, in varying amounts.

However, instead of 1 or 2 acres of land, the government should fund to develop and license racetracks to such centers, for good and safe training, as well as chargeable track events.
Presently, this is not making financial sense by any means, considering land prices & development charges, unless you're in a monopoly. But, we have a choice so I'm overall happier.

I think these private centers should also be held liable, in case it is proven that some accident is caused due to corrupt private official handing over free licenses for money.

Originally Posted by funkykar

Is this a mistake in reporting? This is contradicting completely. Why do applicants have to visit a private driving school for a test if they anyway have to take the text at the RTO.

In RTO, they'll just demonstrate basic driving and riding inside the campus for 2 mins, no extensive test or so, I think. Same has been going on for years now.

[warp_10]

I do not see this as a bad move, in fact if it is executed well, it could become a game changer.

I believe Govt should not be in the role of running any such establishments but do its duty more from policing, monitoring and approving. A good example is that of passport office. Govt. running the passport kendras was a disaster (I remember my first passport which took a month for police verification and was a nightmare waiting in the hall). TCS and other private players operate them with excellent efficiency, without compromising the validity and integrity of the passport document (since the Passport officers are still Govt. officers of high ranks who approve it).

I think this is much required in RTO sector which is filled with and strewn with bribery for every single work out there (be it DL, name change, Regn. change). I do not think (or hope so) private players in the article means tom, dick and harry, but more a big player to run the show and let the RTO officers still stamp and validate their final say.

Hoping for a positive change!

[pragvanshsaini]

Driving a car on road is a lot of responsibility but now anyone can get the licence by just bribing the private centres by not even giving the tests. There should be some interference by govt on providing licence.