BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Jose Arturo Tugade said yesterday morning they are eyeing to standardize rates for driving schools.
Tugade was in the city yesterday to turn over a new LTO facility in Sitio Manayawsayaw in Barangay Mansilingan.
He said a committee was formed to review the agency’s rules and regulations on the accreditation of driving schools.
One of its focus, he added, is the supposedly high rates being charged by driving schools, which is the subject of several complaints received by LTO.
The committee is expected to submit recommendations before the end of the month.
The new rates would be applied nationwide, Tugade said.
LTO has been receiving complaints that some driving schools were charging exorbitant fees. A female complainant claimed she spent P18,000 to secure a driver’s license.
The LTO chief added a representative from the involved driving school would later surface and claimed that the fees would be used for fuel, maintenance, insurance of vehicles, and the salaries of the driving instructors.
Meanwhile, LTO offers a free theoretical driving course but it has limited slots.
Tugado said LTO charges P100 for student permit application, P150 for student permit, and P100 for non-professional license application, and P585 for driver’s license.
Applicants for driver’s license are required to take theoretical and practical driving courses./PN
