By Mohammed Iqbal & Mohammed Osman
DOHA: The Ministry of Economy and Commerce, in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior has forced all the nine driving schools in the country to adopt a unified contract that clearly outlines their obligations to the trainees.
Driving schools are banned from imposing any additional fees on the trainees other than what have been specified in the unified contract.
The new contract forces the school to refund the balance amount, as per the provisions of the contract, in case the trainee discontinues the course in between.
Sources from some driving schools said yesterday that they have already started providing the new contracts to the trainees.
The unified contract has been introduced after the authorities noticed a breach of the customers’ rights by some schools, the ministry said yesterday.
Some schools don’t provide a contract that specifies the trainee’s name, preferred language for learning, important personal information and their rights and duties. This is a violation of the consumer protection law.
Based on the uniform contract, the driving school must -grant the trainee his full rights in terms of training. In case the school fails to do so, the trainee can complain to the school administration. In case they do not take any action, a complaint can be lodged at the General Directorate of Traffic, the Consumer Protection and Anti-Commercial Fraud Department, as well as the Competition Protection Department at the Ministry of Economy and Commerce.
The driving school must ensure the availability of a trainer fluent in the language chosen by the trainee to provide both theoretical and practical training even during the absence of the primary trainer.
Guardian can accompany female driving trainee
In case the trainer is a male, a female trainee may demand the company of a male guardian.
The trainee must pay the fees in cash and is entitled to receive a copy of the contract in his preferred language, in addition to a detailed invoice including a list of the services offered and their cost.
The cash fee covers the cost of theoretical and practical training, the cost of issuing the training permit, the cost of using the test vehicle and the price of the traffic manual.
If the trainee misses a session without a valid excuse, he must pay the agreed fees unless the driving school is notified ahead of the session.
The driving school must refrain from demanding any additional fees. In case the school does, the trainee can complain to the school administration and if they do not take an action, he can lodge a complaint with the authorities concerned.
In case of absences or if the trainee decides to discontinue the course, he is entitled to a refund after deducting administrative fees (QR350), permit fees, the price of the traffic manual and sessions already received.
In case the trainee has a foreign driving license, he can register for half the duration of the course after obtaining the approval of the General Directorate of Traffic.
The training permit is valid for three months. Upon expiry, the permit must be renewed at the trainee’s expense at a cost of QR150.
Both parties must comply with Qatar’s traffic law and its executive regulations.
The duration of the sessions is: Theoretical session for all courses; practical session for motorbikes; practical session for small vehicles; practical session for large vehicles; and practical session for machinery — all 45 minutes each.
Mohammed Al Zain Ibrahim, Director, Gulf Driving School, said the unified contract was developed in consultation with driving schools to protect the rights of the trainees and the schools. Earlier each school had its own contracts. “Now we have reference in case of a dispute,” Ibrahim said, adding the schools are refunding the trainees in case they discontinue the course.
On the provision allowing female trainees to have a guardian to accompany them during training, Ibrahim said, it can be allowed provided the person is a genuine guardian, related to the trainee. And the accompanying person will not be allowed to interfere in the trainer’s work.
Adil Salem, Director, Al Rayah Driving School, said the school has been using the new contract for five months and has not faced any problems. The school has banned trainers from receiving any money or gifts from trainees. “If we receive any complaint, we will stop the trainer from work and investigate the case. If found true, the trainee will face punishment, including dismissal,” said Salem. He said the school is providing enough female trainers but a female trainee can demand a guardian to accompany her, as long as the person doesn’t interfere in the trainer’s work.
The Peninsula
The Peninsula
