Aspiring drivers to get second chance

Published On: November 11, 2016 11:23 AM NPT By: Ram Saran Tamang

New provision allows aspiring drivers to appear for driving tests for up to three times in 90 days

KATHMANDU, Nov 10: In view of easing the procedure to obtain driving license for the general public, the Department of Transport Management (DoTM) has introduced a new provision that allows aspiring drivers to appear for driving tests up to three times altogether in 90 days if they fail the test in one go even after passing the written exam.

The provision will come into effect from November 16, according to the DoTM, a division under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT).

Aspiring drivers have to appear for written test as the first procedure to obtain driving license. Upon passing the written test, they are then eligible to appear for driving test. Under the current provision, if aspiring drivers manage to pass the written test but fail the driving test, they have to wait for at least 90 days to appear for the test again.

Public has long been criticizing the three months wait, stating that the lengthy wait is not practical and only a waste of time.However, things are now set to change with the introduction of the new provision.

“Keeping the public’s convenience in mind, we have revised the current provision to make license obtaining procedure much easier and faster.

When the new provision comes into effect, aspiring drivers who pass the written test but fail their first driving test can appear for two more tests once each consecutive month after failing the first test,” said Tokraj Pandey, Spokesperson for the DoTM.

However, if the aspiring drivers fail their test for the third time, they have to appear for written test again as per the new provision.

According to Pandey, the amendment of the Vehicle and Transport Management Rules 1997 this September enabled them to bring the much-needed change. He added that the department is already working on upgrading the existing software to comply with the new provision.

About 500 aspiring drivers of two-wheelers and four-wheelers appear for written and practical tests daily on an average, Pandey said.

“Of them, about 20 percent fail in written exam while about 30 percent fail the driving test. Compared to the previous years, the pass rate has increased significantly of late.”

Apart from this, the DoTM is preparing to open three new offices to ease registration and distribution of driving license. The offices are being opened in three different locations of Kathmandu Valley - Sallaghari, Kalanki and Chabahil.

Spokesperson Pandey claimed that the new offices would open within two months. As of now, there is only one office for license distribution at Ekantakuna, Lalitpur.