UAE | Traffic and Transport

Learners are driven to distraction

Despite recent plans announced by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to increase the passing rate among applicants, the rate still hovers around 20 per cent

  • By Maysam Ali, Staff reporter
  • Published: 00:04 August 1, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • An instructor guiding a student at an institute in Dubai.
  • Image Credit: Vazhisojan/Gulf News
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Dubai: "By the look of it, it seems my time in this city will be over before I am able to get a driving licence," said Luma Mohammad, who works as a teacher in Dubai.

Luma, who has lived in the UAE for several years, registered for her driving licence at one of the training schools in Dubai in February. Seven months later, she still does not have a date for the road test, which grants her, if she passes, the UAE driving licence.

Despite recent plans announced by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to increase the passing rate among applicants, the rate still hovers around 20 per cent. More and more drivers are complaining about the waiting period, the cost and the difficulty of passing the final test.

There are currently four major schools in Dubai providing training services. The Licensing Agency at the RTA supervises the schools, puts the rules for driving tests and supervises the classes that must be taken by applicants.

Final test

Luma took 50 driving lessons at one of the local driving centres although she holds a ten-year driving licence from Iraq, her home country.

"They keep adding lessons without explaining why. I still haven't done the final test half a year after I registered and I've paid more than Dh4,500 so far," she said.

Upon receiving their residence visa, citizens from 32 countries, in addition to the GCC, can exchange their licence for a local one. Nationals of other countries have to take either 20 or 40 lessons, depending on whether they have a licence in their mother countries and the number of years they have been driving.

"I already have an Indian and US licence, both of which are valid, but I had to take over 20 lessons and the test. If it was a US national who lived in the US for 2 years only, he would still be able to exchange it. As for someone who lived there longer but does not have the passport, they wouldn't exchange it. It's not the driving experience that they're looking for," said K. N., who resides in Dubai.

Majdi Al Ajami, customer service agent at RTA said: "If the licence and nationality match, the licence can be exchanged. These countries are given privilege because their driving rules are very strict and similar to those of the UAE."

Drivers complain because of unclear test criteria and they say they are not properly briefed about the reasons for their failure. "I will be repeating the same test in a couple of months but I don't know what to do differently to pass," said J.S., who failed her first test. Harish Vaswani, advertising manager at Belhasa Driving Institute, said that trainers are not to be blamed because they are well-trained and updated with the driving test requirements.

"If most of the students of one trainer fail, we re-evaluate that trainer. But the rules have to be strict for the safety of the students," he said.

As for the cost of classes, complaints over the high fees have risen and the low passing rate adds to the required number of classes, which increases fees and the cost of transportation to and from the institute for the training.

The average cost of obtaining a driver's licence, is Dh4,000, where the cost of one class varies from Dh60 to Dh80, depending on the driving school and whether the class is taken on a weekday or weekend.

Retaking the test costs an additional Dh500, which covers extra lessons and the test fee.

Registration

Beginners have to take 40 lessons while those with driving licences older than two years can take 20 lessons before applying for the road test.

Most drivers are not satisfied with the pre-training waiting period, which is, in most cases, extended by a couple of weeks due to the high demand.

Fouad Omran, a Palestinian-Jordanian civil engineer residing in Sharjah said, "I registered at an institute in Sharjah. I was told that over 1,000 people are listed before me on the waiting list so I will have to wait a long time before my turn comes up," he said. "The service is very bad but we don't have many options."

Fatima Raees, marketing manager of the Emirates Driving Institute, told Gulf News, "The waiting list depends on the courses chosen, whether they are automatic or manual, the timing, the days chosen, etc." "There have been instances when applicants have had to wait more than they were told and this is mainly because the registration rate goes up, at times when the average passing rate decreases or the average number of trainers decreases," she added.

Are you in the process of obtaining a driving licence? How long has the exercise taken you? Do long waits deter people from seeking a licence? How can the process be made more efficient? Share your experiences with us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com

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