The Union government has proposed a steep increase in the fees for issue and renewal of driving licences for all types of vehicles. A licence for driving a private vehicle may cost up to Rs. 1,200, up from Rs. 320.
The cost of driving lessons will also go up as the government has proposed a four-fold increase in licence issue and renewal fees for driving schools from Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 10,000. Moreover, the States have been authorised to charge an additional fee for conducting driving tests.
The Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry proposed amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, on July 28 to charge separate fees for conducting driving competence test for different categories of vehicles. The fee structure was last revised during 2001-02. While a one-time fee of Rs. 50 is now charged for conducting a driving test for all vehicles, the Centre has proposed increasing it to Rs. 300 for each class of vehicle. This means a twin test for a two-wheeler and a four-wheeler will cost Rs. 600, from Rs. 50 at present.
As per the proposed amendments, a smart-card driving licence will cost Rs. 400, up from Rs. 200 at present, and a learner’s driving licence will cost Rs.150 for each class of vehicle, up from Rs. 30.
A separate fee of Rs. 50 has been proposed for the learner’s licence test fee.
The fee for the renewal of all types (smart card and non-smart card) of driving licence is proposed to be increased to Rs. 200 from Rs. 50, and for receiving an international driving permit to Rs. 1,000 from Rs. 500. The government has proposed Rs. 200 for applying for changing the particulars in the driving licence such as the residential address.
Proposals accepted“The Ministry has accepted these proposals based on the recommendations of the S.K. Sharma Committee that were received earlier this year,” said a senior official.
“The States may levy additional amounts to cover the cost of automation and technology for conducting the test or providing value-added services,” the draft rule says.
“The salient feature of the draft rule is that the States may charge an additional fee for using technology for bringing transparency in the driving licence tests,” the official said.
