LTO to issue revised guidelines for “reasonable” standard driving school rates

With driving schools charging high service fees for the theoretical driving course (TDC) and practical driving course (PDC), people are finding it increasingly difficult to obtain a driver’s license here in the Philippines. In order to address this, the LTO has said that it will be taking action by standardizing the fees driving schools charge for their services.

According to LTO Chief Secretary Jay Art Tugade, the agency has already formed a committee to review and revise the LTO’s guidelines regarding the accreditation of driving schools in the country. One of the issues that the committee is looking into is the expensive service fees charged by driving schools which were brought to their attention through several complaints received by the agency.

To put things in perspective, a report done by GMA news says that an individual filed a complaint saying that they had to pay a total of P18,000 in order to secure a driver’s license. On the other hand, a representative from one driving school said that the fees are to pay for fuel, vehicle insurance, vehicle maintenance, and the salaries of their driving instructors. 

Tugade said that the LTO is preparing a reasonable standard fee-based structure for driving schools based on the technical working group (TWG) recommendations. Currently, the LTO’s rates are P250 for a student permit and P685 for a driver's license. Under Republic Act 10930, prospective drivers must first pass the TDC and PDC in order to acquire a driver's license with a five-year validity.

In addition, Tugade encouraged the public to take advantage of the free TDC provided by local government units and associations or groups that have partnered with the LTO. The theoretical driving course will last for 15 hours, split up between three sessions.