Driver’s courses will be allowed to raise the prices but that won’t save them :: Charter'97 :: News

The cost of training at the driver’s courses will rise not more than by 8%. Such was the comment of the ministry of transport and communication press-service given to the Economicheskaya Gazeta on the draft resolution of the Council of Ministers on increasing the maximum tariffs for the drivers’ training. Since the beginning of 2006 (when the new regulatory documents for driver’s course appear) the expenses affecting the training costs have considerably increased: the base rate have increased, along with land and environment tax rates, prices for fuel, tires and spare parts. The above-mentioned made the Mantras reconsider the maximum tariff, the press-service of the ministry reported. It should be mentioned that the current maximum drivers’ training fee is regulated by the Council of Ministers Resolution #34 of 12 December 2006 and amounts to Br 589 690 with consideration for the consumed fuel.

Drivers’ courses and their trainees are facing another novelty. Diversification of the range of drivers’ courses services are envisaged by another resolution draft project of the Ministry. As Pavel Bozhanov, the head of the transport security and licensing department of Mintrans, explained to the Economicheskaya Gazeta, the trainee who does not cope with the course program may, at his will, extend both theoretical and practical parts of his training.

The fact that the cost of training hardly covers its expenses was not once mentioned in the Economicheskaya Gazeta last year. Drivers’ training courses being unable to make both ends meet were caused to reduce the enrollment thus creating large queues (somewhere, even half-a-year long) of applicants for the driver’s license.

According to the driver’s training courses employees, even 8% increase of the general tariff won’t save them. “Another petrol price raise and we shall terminate our activities”, remarked Sergey Tarasov, the director of the “Avtovaditel” training course. According to his calculations only Br 140 thousand (at the rate of 75 litters per person) of the training cost is intended for the fuel.

According to him, there is the only way out: the training fee has to be at least Br 700 thousand, fuel not included. Trainees, as previously, have to procure it themselves.

“The current situation is sad : everybody bares losses .Taxes are increasing, petrol prices are rising, staff turnover is 94% ( foreman’s earnings are USD180) ”, depicted the state of things with the drivers’ training the interlocutor of the Economicheskaya Gazeta.

Do you know that nowadays not a single drivers’ training course in Minsk upgrades its technical bases. Because it is next to impossible. Soon will have only “the remnants” at our disposal.”