Heads up aspiring license holders! According to LTO director Jay Art Tugade, a memorandum that establishes the maximum prescribed rates for theoretical and practical driving courses takes effect today, April 15, 2023.
The LTO said that it met with representatives from other driving school organizations in the country as well as the Association of Accredited Driving Schools of the Philippines, Inc., the Philippine Association of LTO-accredited Driving Schools, and other organizations to hear their suggestions and address their issues.
The driving schools stated their support for LTO's objective to make driving school costs reasonable and balanced while assuring adherence to the new requirements of the agency under the memorandum at the aforementioned meeting.
With the new rates, driving schools are only permitted to charge a maximum of P1,000 for theoretical driving lessons for both motorcycles and four-wheeled vehicles under Memorandum Circular 2023-2390.
Meanwhile, a maximum charge of P2,500 for motorcycles, P4,000 for light vehicles, and P8,000 for big vehicles like buses, trucks, and other articulated vehicles was set for practical driving courses.
The rates include the usual 15-hour theoretical driving course and the eight-hour practical driving course which according to the LTO were both sufficient to train and assess applicants' abilities.
Driving schools must hold 15-hour TDCs over the course of two days, with the first seven hours taking place on the first day and the final eight hours on the second.
Practical driving lessons must last at least eight hours for each driver's license code that is requested.
Due to the issue of "non-appearance" by some candidates, driving schools should enroll their clients' information into the LTO System using the Land Transportation Management System (LTMS) Client ID to identify the TDC start date.
In case you don't know, in accordance with Republic Act 10930, which increased the duration of licenses in the country, new student drivers and candidates for driver's licenses must complete practical and theoretical driving courses.
Driving schools who disregard the new rules will be subject to severe punishments and penalties, according to the Omnibus Guidelines on the Accreditation, Supervision and Control of Driving Institutions and the Standardization of Driver and Conductor's Education.
For the first offense, there will be a P50,000 fine and a six-month suspension; for the second, there will be a P100,000 fine and a one-year suspension; and for the third, their accreditation would be revoked.
According to Tugade, there has never been a cap placed on the cost of driving school. Reports said that certain schools charged as much as P20,000.
Tugade added that following the concerns of high rates earlier this year, driving schools had committed to offering more reasonably priced driver's education sessions for the general public.
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