4,377 driver licenses converted from ‘auto to manual’ in Dubai

Dubai: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has responded to requests of 4,377 motorists who wanted to swap their automatic driving licenses for manual ones.

“The launch of this service aims to meet the needs of light driving license holders seeking to convert their driving license category from automatic to a manual transmission. As many as 4,377 driving licenses have so far been converted, including 1,416 applications submitted in 2019,” said Sultan Al Akraf, Director of Drivers Licensing, Licensing Agency, RTA.

“Applicants would be tested without being subjected to training lessons at the RTA. The test would focus on the handling of the manual gear system. In case of failing the test, the applicant would be notified about his or her improvement areas and may select an appropriate way for improving those points before re-applying for a test,” he noted.

“Dealing with manual transmission needs certain skills such as attentiveness while shifting gears, ability to shift gears without distraction, and coping with the smooth-shifting between gears while driving. It is a different case scenario for holders of manual transmission driving licenses. They can easily cope with the automatic transmission without requiring tests, as the automatic transmission needs no action while driving,” he explained.