The long wait for aspiring drivers to get a license has come to an end as the Road Safety and Transport Authority (RSTA) in Thimphu resumes driving test. The RSTA in Thimphu Started conducting tests from last week after putting it on hold for about six months due to the pandemic.
20-year-old Kelzang has been desperately waiting for the driving test for last many months. Kelzang is a monk in Kabesa Goenpa in Thimphu and takes the responsibility of doing all necessary shopping for the monastery. The prolonged driving test hit him hard as he could not drive his car without a driving license. Today, he drives away with beaming face as he passes the test.
“I have been waiting for the driving test for about eight months now. I look after the shopping matters of the monastery and it has been difficult for me without a driving licence,” he said.
Similarly, A.B Rai came all the way from Wangdue Phodrang to sit for the test.
“Due to the COVID-19, I have not been able to sit for the test and I waited for more than four months. The test in Wangdue has not resumed so I came here. It was difficult because we are not allowed to drive without a license. Today, I am happy that I got the opportunity,” he said.
According to the RSTA officials, driving test in Wangdue Phodrang, Punakha, Paro and a few other districts are yet to resume. Meanwhile, eastern districts have been carrying out driving tests without disruption.
The RSTA’s officiating Director-General said the authority has taken up a few changes in the process to clear the backlog and also to adhere to COVID-19 norms.
“Earlier, we conduct the driving test only once a week. We used to accept 50 people in a batch. But now, due to the COVID-19 norms, we accept only 30 people in a batch. At the same time, we now conduct test two times a week,” said Ugyen Norbu, the Officiating Director General of RSTA.
However, in the recent three batches of the test, the number of people exceeded their targeted number due to some technical glitches.
“We are experiencing some issues with online registration. People have to pay test fees and while using the online system, the amount gets deducted from their account but their list doesn’t get updated here. We are not sure if the issues are with our system or G2C or banks. This way more people paid for the test. So people complained that the amount has been deducted from their account. We had no option but to let them sit for the test and it crossed our required number of 30,” he added.
He said relevant officials are working to resolve the issue so that they can keep the intake as required.
During the last three batches of driving test, over 200 people sat for the driving test.
Kinley Dem
