Walk into a driving school with cash, walk out with a driving license
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| HRN Driving School racks up high profits. |
By Rajnandini Ghosh
BANGALORE (Sept. 29)—Get a Rs. 30 application form, take a driving test, pay processing fees of Rs. 250 and wait 30 days: That’s what you need to do to get your driver’s license. Well, maybe not.
Electronic City in Bangalore has a huge profit-making network of private driving license schools that offer for Rs. 3,400 a license that allows the holder to drive motorcycles and automobiles. The enormous difference in cost means the buyer need not take a driving test.
The Regional Transport Office (RTO), Electronic City, located near Bangalore Central Jail, is surrounded by a string of private driving license schools that are busy every day carrying out such illegal deals.
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Illegal driving licenses are issued right under the RTO's nose. |
A photo proof, five passport-sized photographs and the cash is all you need to get an RTO-registered driver’s license, valid all through India, in less than 30 days.
‘If you don’t want to take the test, I need more money’
The owner of one such driving school asked me to come with a photo and address proof, photographs and Rs. 1,900 for my two-wheeler license. If I paid this amount, I would not have to take the test, he said.
Mohammad Nayaz of H.R.N. Driving School said, “If you don’t want to take the test, I need more money, ma’am.”
We bargained hard to settle on the above-mentioned amount. He promised to obtain the license for me in less than 30 days.
VR Driving School and Shubhajyoti Driving School are two more examples of training centers at that location that engage in this illegal act every day, right under the RTO’s nose.
Basaraj, the owner of VR Driving School, told me that if I paid him Rs. 900 he could provide me with a two-wheeler driving license, and I would not have to take the test.
 
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| The RTO-registered driving license of Shankar, an auto rickshaw driver, who did not appear for his driving test. |
Gopal, owner of Shubhajyoti Driving School said he could do the same for Rs. 1,600.
RTO chief denies existence of racket
RTO Electronic City head Omprakashi denied that such skullduggery was going on.
“It’s impossible,” she said. “Every new license made is under my jurisdiction. You can never get one without a test.”
Shankar, an autorickshaw driver said he got his license from one of these schools without taking the driving test.
He showed me his license. It looked genuine (see photographs), and bore the RTO stamp.
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