Driving schools in Sharjah will move to a bigger training facility when a better location is found, an official said.
The move will solve several problems for students, who complain they spend much of their time in queues because the facility is not big enough for training, said Colonel Rashid Gareeb Al Mahmoud, director of the Traffic Department at Sharjah Police.
"A bigger facility for new students will be allocated to help better learning," the official said.
M. D'Lacruz, a Filipina secretary, was one of those complaining of a lack of space at the driving school yesterday. "I pay Dh40 for a 45 minute class, but spend half of that time in queues," she said. "The compound is jammed with students."
Driving-school owners had been calling for change as they are facing losses.
"There are 24 driving schools in the facility and another two schools are due to open soon," said Adil Sharif, assistant manager of Al Shola Driving School. "We need enough space for the 400 cars and vans that operate there. It is unfair to make driving schools suffer. The initial training space is estimated at one kilometre," he said.
Sharif said police authorities banned private driving schools from conducting initial training on the city's streets seven years ago, which is when the facility was built.
According to the Traffic Department, the number of people applying for driver's licences has increased and this has contributed to the increase in the length of time people are left waiting.
"The long periods between road tests have made our students lazy. If they fail, they just disappear until the next test is due. This is coupled with the fact that female students can pay Dh200 to pass the theory test. Such practices prevent beginners from becoming good drivers," he said.
Hours of operation also affect business, Sharif said. Training goes from 8.30am to 1pm and from 3pm to 6.30pm.
Traffic officials have said the business hours cannot be extended because it will affect traffic in the city.
"We should at least be allowed to start at 7am and finish at 7pm. My earnings do not cover my expenses at the moment as I have rent and staff to pay," Sharif said.
Mohammad Khan, an instructor at Venus Driving School, said the training area is so small that people on manual cars find it difficult to learn how to use their gears.
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