CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Wednesday issued maximum rates for the theoretical and practical driving courses of its accredited driving schools.
The standardized maximum fees was set after the conduct of consultative meeting between the agency's Technical Working Group and accredited driving schools.
It covers theoretical driving course (TDC) and practical driving course (PDC) for both motorcycles and four-wheeled vehicles.
For motorcycles, the maximum prescribed fee for TDC is P1,000 while PDC costs P2,500.
This means that motorcycle drivers applying for new license only need to pay no more than P3,500 for driving courses plus the application fee of P250 for student's permit, and P685 for non-professional license to be paid to LTO, and around P500 for medical certificate issued by LTO-accredited clinics.
The maximum fee allowed to be charged for TDC for light vehicles is P1,000, while PDC fees are up to P4,000 for a total of P5,000 plus the application fee and medical certificate fee.
LTO Chief Jay Art Tugade said the maximum prescribed fee must be strictly observed by accredited driving schools, otherwise they will be facing sanctions.
He urged applicants who will be charged excessively to immediately report to LTO the driving schools for immediate action.
The move to review the amount charged by driving schools to driver's license applicants came after Pampanga Fourth District Representative Anna York Bondoc raised concern over what she called "Gintong Lisensiya" ("Golden License”) or the high cost of securing a new driver’s license.
Prior to the issuance of standardized maximum rate, applicants have to pay up to P12,000 to acquire a new driver's license.
To resolve what Bondoc described as "anti-poor" measure, she filed House Resolution 751 urging Congress to conduct an investigation on the "excessive” cost to acquire a driver’s license.
This prompted the LTO to review the rules and regulations covering the fees charged by its accredited driving schools.