Class VIII qualification not required for taxi drivers

Information and Communica­tion minister Karma Donnen Wangdi announced the house that no class VIII qualification will be required to get the taxi driving license during the ques­tion and answer session in on-going National Assembly.

Khatoed-Laya MP, Tenzin raised an issue over the require­ment of class VIII qualification to get the taxi driving license. He said that it is imperative for the government and tourist drivers to have qualification but it is not necessary for regular taxi drivers to have class VIII qualification to get taxi driving license. He also said that reviewing and imple­menting the appropriate mea­sures over the requirement of class VIII qualification will help in reducing the gap between the poor and rich.

In response, the Communi­cation minister agreed that it is not necessary for taxi drivers to require class VIII qualification.

Lyonpo explained that before issuance of the professional driv­ing license from Road Safety and Transport Authority, drivers are required to complete two-month professional driving course along with two tests; written test and practical test.

He added that one of the pledges of the government is to review the class VIII qualifica­tion requirement by the taxi driv­ers. He said that the government is discussing the matter of doing away with class VIII qualifica­tion requirement since taking the courses and two tests prove to be worthy enough. He said, “We are working towards it and we will make sure to do away for the convenience of the people.”

Minister reiterated that the government will review the re­quirement criteria for taxi driv­ers and the review will also in­clude the nine-year term of the taxis taking into considerations about the condition of the vehi­cles which is not allowed by the current policy.

 

By Yeshi Tenzin