Transport leaders score another win

Accepting another demand of road transport association leaders, the government has relaxed the experience requirement for getting a heavy vehicle driving licence.

Now a person holding a light vehicle driving licence for three years can apply for a heavy vehicle driving licence. The heavy vehicles include bus and truck.

Earlier, one would have required at least six-year experience to secure such a licence.

The road transport and bridges ministry issued a circular in this regard on Sunday. It said the order came into effect immediately.

A top road transport expert said the government’s latest move would jeopardise road safety. However, another expert stressed the need for providing proper training and ensuring quality of driving test before issuing a heavy vehicle driving licence.

Transport leaders had long been demanding the government reduce the experience requirement for heavy vehicle driving licence. The demand grew stronger after the government in November last year went to implement the relatively tougher Road Transport Act-2018.

Transport leaders claim around 70 percent bus drivers only have licences for light- or medium-seized vehicles even though they have been driving heavy vehicles for years.

The relaxation of experience came just two weeks after the government waived the late fines for vehicle owners and drivers who failed to update their documents on time.

Exempting the vehicle owners and drivers from late fines was also one of the major demands of transport workers when they enforced strikes in some districts in November last year, protesting the implementation of the Road Transport Act.

Following the protest, the government decided to go for relaxed implementation of several sections of the law till June this year.

Under the current rule, motorists holding light vehicle driving licence for three years can only apply for the medium-sized vehicle driving licence. Similarly, the licensed drivers of medium-sized vehicles can apply for heavy vehicle driving licence after having three-year experience.

As thousands of students took to the streets following the death of two college students in July 2018, a grim picture of the country’s road transport sector came to the fore. Transport leaders said most of the bus and truck drivers were driving vehicles with light or medium-sized vehicle driving licence.

In face of the demand of transport owners and workers’ leaders, the government in August 2018 relaxed the experience requirement for getting heavy and medium-sized vehicle driving licences.

According to the relaxed requirement, light vehicle drivers can apply for medium-sized vehicle driving licence if they gain one year’s experience. Holders of medium-sized vehicle driving licences can also apply for heavy vehicle driving licence if they have the same experience.

The government on several occasions extended the tenure of the offer for up to six months. As per the latest extension order issued on November 27 last year, drivers can avail this opportunity until June this year.

However, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) sent a proposal to the road transport ministry last month for further relaxation of the requirement.

As per the “amended circular” issued on Sunday, if a motorist holds a professional driving licence for light vehicle for three years, he can apply for a heavy vehicle driving licence. He, however, has to follow the necessary procedure, including taking a driving test.

The circular said the government has taken the decision to make up for the shortage of licensed medium and heavy vehicle drivers and to keep the services of passenger and goods-laden vehicles normal.

Around 43.01 lakh vehicles got registered with the BRTA till December last year since the country’s independence. Of them, 2.02 lakh are buses and trucks.

On the other hand, the BRTA has issued 27.63 lakh driving licences till yesterday, including 1.87 lakh for heavy vehicle drivers, a BRTA official said.

‘MOVE WILL JEOPARDISE ROAD SAFETY’

Transport expert Prof Shamsul Hoque said reducing the experience requirement for driving licences would jeopardise road safety as the driving tests, conducted by the BRTA, were not up to international standards.

“In Bangladesh, the BRTA driving tests are conducted on its office compounds. But in many other countries, such tests are held on roads. That’s why drivers’ experience is very important here,” he told The Daily Star.

Compromising on drivers’ experience would create a big obstacle to safe road, said Shamsul, also a former director of Accident Research Institute (ARI) of Buet.

Another transport expert Prof Moazzem Hossain said if a driver holding light vehicle driving licence can drive heavy vehicles after getting proper training and get heavy vehicle driving licence after taking proper tests, it would not pose any security threat.

“But I have doubt about the quality of driving test [conducted by the BRTA],” said Moazzem, another former director of ARI.

A top BRTA official said transport leaders demanded a driver be issued a heavy vehicle driving licence if he passed the driving test.

“But we could not accept the demand. So, we suggested that a driver must have a light vehicle driving licence and three-year experience to get a heavy vehicle driving licence,” he said wishing anonymity.

BRTA Chairman Kamrul Ahsan said they decided to relax the experience requirement to meet the huge shortage of drivers, especially heavy vehicle drivers.

“It will not pose any risk to road safety as a driver would get a heavy vehicle driving licence only after passing a proper driving test. We will not compromise on the quality of the test,” he told this newspaper last night.

Asked whether the BRTA faced any pressure from transport leaders in this regard, he replied in the negative.

Osman Ali, general secretary of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers’ Federation, said they had raised the demand as there was a huge shortage of drivers holding medium and heavy vehicle driving licence.

In Bangladesh, a person becomes a bus or truck driver after working in vehicles as helper and so they gain experience of driving a heavy vehicle, claimed Osman. Asked whether they put pressure on the government to relax the experience requirement, he said they only raised the “rational demand” before the government and it was accepted.