Learner licence backlog down

2007-11-20 07:48

Johannesburg - The demand for learner's licence bookings has been reduced to less than 3 000, said the Department of Transport on Monday.

Spokesperson Alfred Nhlapo said this was due to the establishment of three satellite learner's licence testing centres by MEC Ignatius Jacobs in September.

"The learner's booking system has been receiving great attention from provincial government following major challenges at various drivers licence testing centres throughout the province."

According to latest statistics by the Department of Transport, the time it took for members of the public to secure bookings and get tested for learners' licences was now less than a week. Previously it took months.

"This was compounded by the fact that the department had been keeping many people on its booking system in order to help those who had been inconvenienced by the upgrade of systems. These have since been reliably stabilised," said Nhlapo.

Jacobs said he was pleased that a corner had been turned on this important service delivery matter.

"We are also continuing with our work to build more drivers' licence testing centres in some of the 20 prioritised townships in the province," he said.

Testing centres were established in Soweto and another would be built in Mamelodi.

- SAPA