The Land Transportation Office (LTO) announced on Wednesday that it would impose a maximum fee for driving schools in response to complaints about exorbitant rates.
Effective April 15, 2023, the maximum prescribed fees for motorcycle driving courses will be P3,500, with P1,000 for theoretical driving courses (TDC) and P2,500 for practical driving courses (PDC). Meanwhile, the maximum total prescribed rate for light vehicle driving is P5,000, with P1,000 allocated for TDC and P4,000 for PDC.
The move is part of the LTO’s Omnibus Guidelines on the Accreditation, Supervision, and Control of Driving Institutions, which aims to standardize driver and conductor education. LTO Chief Jay Art Tugade emphasized that driving schools that violate the guidelines will be subject to penalties.
Before the implementation of the guidelines, no maximum rates were set for driving schools, with some reportedly charging up to P20,000. However, Tugade noted that driving schools must now conduct TDCs that last for 15 hours over two days, with seven hours on the first day and eight hours on the second day. Furthermore, PDCs must not be less than eight hours for each driver’s license code applied for.
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To ensure that all driving schools comply with the new guidelines, they must enroll their clients’ information in the Land Transportation Management System (LTMS) Client ID. The LTO will use the information to determine the starting date of the TDC, addressing the issue of “non-appearance” by some applicants.
The LTO will also lift the moratorium on applications to open driving schools starting Thursday, March 23. Meanwhile, the LTO is set to issue further Omnibus Guidelines on the Accreditation, Supervision, and Control of Driving Institutions to ensure that all driving schools follow the same standards for driver and conductor education.
This LTO’s move to regulate driving school fees is a welcome development for aspiring drivers, as it will ensure that they do not need to pay exorbitant rates to learn how to drive. The guidelines also aim to ensure that all driving schools provide the same quality of education, which will help reduce the number of accidents on the road.
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