Driving training institutes across the country appealed to the infrastructure and transport minister, last week, following a notification from the Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority mandating them to standardise the display of stickers on their training vehicles. The notification was issued in November of last year. Driving training institutes are seeking clarity amidst the new regulation.
The Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority’s notification states that vehicles of the driving training institutes are only required to display their institute’s name on the sides of the car that too in black colour.
The notification also restricts size of the letters to 10 centimetres and prohibits the display of phone numbers.
The notification also states that the authority observed some driving training institutes extensively covering their training vehicles with stickers, phone numbers, logos, and institute names.
It also states that some vehicles are mounted with LED display boards.
The notification was issued based on Section 423 of the Road Safety Transport Regulations 2021, which states “Display of inappropriate billboard, banners and stickers on the vehicle body shall not be allowed. In exceptional cases, approval of the Authority shall be sought.”
However, these regulations, aimed at standardising vehicle appearance on the roads, have left driving schools seeking clarity.
“The rules do not specify clearly what is permissible and what is not and might lead to unfair treatment. Now they say we can write the names of the driving institutes but not the contact information. This makes the customers difficult to find our phone numbers and they are complaining about it. So, it would be helpful if the authority could consider allowing us to display our contact numbers as well,” said Ugyen Singye Dorji, the owner of USD Driving Training Institute.
“Driving schools are not happy with the notification because it is kind of being forcefully enforced on us based on their whims and fancies. Nothing is clearly mentioned in their rules, but they implement the rules arbitrarily. Sometimes we find it funny because if we are to write with black colour on black vehicles, then who will be able to see the words?,” said Ugyen Dendup, General Manager of Gangjung Driving Centre of Excellence.
“The labour ministry mandates us to use visible stickers on our cars to make other road users know that the car is of a driving institute and the driver is a learner. But now we have been instructed to write only with smaller text of 10 CM in black colour and that too on the body of the car. I think it is very important to have the writing on the front and back of the cars so that other road users can see,” said Phurba, General Manager of Sacho Driving Institute.
Gangjung Driving Centre of Excellence had installed LED boards on their training vehicles. The company said the LED boards were installed with approval from the former director in 2012.
According to the company, the new regulations have demotivated them from continuing its business.
The Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority told BBS that the approval letter produced by the Gangjung Driving Centre of Excellence is not in the authority’s record and the signed approval was given by an individual and not as the authority.
Several driving schools told BBS that the rules were enforced without consulting them.
The driving schools also expressed confusion over the clarity of the Road Safety and Transport Regulations 2021.
The driving training institutes said city buses, on the other hand, carry all commercial posters and hoardings.
However, the authority said the public buses carry social advertisements with special approval from the authority.
The BCTA also said the notification was issued to prevent visual pollution, which could potentially lead to safety concerns if left unmonitored.
It said that the regulation applies to all the vehicles in the country.
Regarding the standardising of the text colour as black, the authority stated that the requirement has been revised. Driving schools can now use any colour according to the authority.
There are around 30 driving training institutes in the country today.
Kinzang Lhadon/Kinley Dem
Edited by Kipchu
