BENGALURU, 23 MAY

With new driving licence rules coming into effect in the country on 1 June, many private driving schools in Bengaluru have demanded clarity on the new regulations.

Under the new rules, private driving schools must have a training area of a minimum of one acre (two acres for training on four wheels) to impart lessons. “If we go by the new rules, where in Bengaluru we can get one to two acres for training,” Manjunath BC, owner of Rainbow Driving School in City, told Salar News. “Private driving schools mainly cater to people in their locality. We cannot afford to buy this much land in our neighbourhood with the real estate prices skyrocketing in the City.’’

Another private driving school owner in the City said: “Centre and State government must bring clarity on building driving schools in a one- or two-acre property.”

The owner of AS Motor Driving School said, “Under the new rule, the schools must have access to a suitable testing facility. In the rules, there is no mention of what suitable testing is and what are the protocols?’’

Another bone of contention is Accredited Driver Training Centres (ADTCs). The new rules say licences will be issued by ADTCs only. “Who is the official in charge of ADTC and how will we come under them,” another private driving school owner in the City said.

Karnataka Motor Driving Training School Owners’ Association General Secretary HC Nagaraj said, “We have written to Transport Department and are yet to get a response on this. Around 2,000 driving schools are operating in the City and all of them are confused by the new rules.’’

An official from the office of State Transport Minister told Salar News “We are waiting for a response from the Centre to get clarity on the new rules.’’ —Salar News