Driving Licenses Will Get Costlier Under Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill

The bill proposes to hike the cost of issuing a new license from the current Rs. 320 up to Rs. 1200 for private vehicles. The increment is nearly four times the current fees. Similarly, the cost of acquiring a learner's license will cost Rs. 150 for each class of vehicle, instead of current fee of Rs. 30. An additional charge of Rs. 50 for conducting the learner's driving test has also been proposed.

Renewing your existing driving license is going to get expensive as well with the bill proposing to hike the cost from the current Rs. 50 to Rs. 200. Applying for an international driving license will cost Rs. 1000, twice the current cost, under the amendment bill. Opting for a new license in the smart card format will cost Rs. 400, up from the current cost of Rs. 200.

Furthermore, the Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill also allows states to charge additional fees for conducting driving tests for each class of vehicle, which is expected to increase up to Rs. 300 per class of vehicle. This means that applying for a driving license for a light motor vehicle (LMV) and two-wheeler will cost a total of Rs. 600. This figure is in addition to the cost paid for issuing the new license. At present, states charge a cumulative Rs. 50 for conducting the driving test.

It isn't just acquiring the license that is going to get expensive, the amendment bill will also result in driving lessons getting costlier, since the license issue and renewal fees for driving schools will be hiked to Rs. 10,000, from the current fee of Rs. 2500.

While the hike is understandable, the government needs to take equally concrete steps in applying more stringent norms at Regional Transport offices (RTO). The outlets are known for massive corruption with respect to issuing licenses across the country and the same needs to be curbed on a large scale. Moreover, there also needs to be a concrete decision taken in regard to unauthorised agents that dictate norms outside the RTOs. After being approved by the Union Cabinet, the Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 9, and will move to the Rajya Sabha once approved.