The National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC) has analyzed the driver training sector in Spain and proposes a series of measures to make it “more accessible, efficient and flexible”, among them, allowing accompanied driving with non-legal tutors. professionals and facilitate more training alternatives, including digital and online methods.
Likewise, and “to reduce barriers to the activity of driving schools”, the Commission proposes to review the obligation to be the owner of a vehicle and a physical premises, or the duplications in the procedures; and make it easier for the same center to provide different types of training.
Regarding access to the profession, the supervisory body is committed to simplifying the requirements to be a teacher or director and improving training for professionals in the sector. Increasing the transparency of the exam management system, reinforcing its balance and giving more decision-making power to students and considering assigning exams to students instead of to driving schools are other of its proposals.
It also advocates publishing information on passing rates and allowing students to manage their procedures directly with the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT); guarantee adequate access to practice and examination grounds, and facilitate the direct use of the DGT file management tool.
The CNMC has examined the training offered by driving schools for different driving licenses, for the recovery of points and for special permits for professional driving of trucks and buses (the CAP) and dangerous goods (ADR permit).
«These services are essential to guarantee road safety, as well as to facilitate the personal and professional mobility of citizens, and for the transport sector. Most of the plaintiffs are young, who generally have below-average income. Furthermore, having a driving license is very important in less populated and less connected areas,” he explained.
“Highly regulated” companies
In this sense, he pointed out that this sector is made up of small companies, focused on the municipal level, and “highly regulated to guarantee road safety.” In Spain, only authorized driving schools can teach driving, while in many countries it is possible to practice with a non-professional tutor.
Driving schools must obtain specific authorization for each type of training they want to provide, in addition to having premises or vehicles. The qualification of teachers and school directors is also regulated.
On the other hand, the Commission has indicated that the traffic authorities have a system of distributing driving tests between driving schools, since “there is more demand than capacity.” “Although this distribution system has improved in recent years, there is still room to make it more balanced and transparent and, also, to give greater choice to students,” he stressed.
As the CNMC has warned, “the lack of transparency and access to key information can harm students” and future drivers “cannot easily consult important data”, such as the pass rates of each driving school, nor carry out negotiations directly with the DGT.
Finally, he believes that driving schools also have “difficulties” in accessing municipal land where they can practice or exam centers, as well as problems adapting to the DGT’s computer tool to process files.
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