The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has identified 23 places across the State to start driving schools under the public sector. All the state-of-the-art facilities would be arranged in the driving schools, including simulators for learning. In the first phase, 10 driving schools, each in a district, would be set up soon, and the number of schools would be scaled up in phases. The move is expected to end the monopoly of private players in this sector.
According to Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar, the public utility will purchase brand new vehicles, including motorbikes, to impart driving skills to the aspirants. First, the aspirants would be provided training on simulators, followed by ground and road training. The aim of the KSRTC is to generate a breed of professional drivers, who will be capable of driving vehicles soon after the test, adhering to best road practices and road culture, said the Minister in a video.
Further, the KSRTC has also plans to provide training on heavy driving as it has enough buses and skilled drivers. The charge for driving would be minimal, and the weaker sections of society would be given a concession in the driving schools, he added. In the case of improving the standard of the KSRTC, the performance of drivers in the KSRTC would be reviewed on the third Saturday of every month. A meeting headed by the chairman and managing director of the KSRTC will take a decision on the drivers who repeatedly violate road discipline and cause accidents, the Minister added.
Earlier, the Transport department’s bid to bring a new test format for driving tests and restrict the number of tests by a motor vehicle inspector (MVI) to 30 has sparked a controversy, with driving schools and driving test aspirants putting up a strong protest against the move to enforce the new decision without informing them in advance.
Later, the All Kerala Driving School Workers Union affiliated to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has informed that the revamp suggested by the Transport Minister in connection with the driving tests in the State from May 1 has also been put on hold by the Chief Minister after a meeting with him. In a meeting with the Chief Minister, the union leaders expressed their concerns about switching to the new mode of driving test as suggested by the Transport Minister.