RutSum

Getting a Driving License in India is Painful

Not as much as it was earlier, say my sister and my dad.

The learning license. Went to the transport department office before 8:30 in the morning. There was already a crowd outside the gate. The gates open at 8:30. As soon as they open it, the people rush inside like rabid dogs. I too, ran to the counter which deals with checking documents for learning licenses and also registers the fee. The fee was 60 INR. They asked for an ID proof and an address proof, both of which, for me, was my passport. A form, called Form 1 had to be filled out and attached with the other documents. Also, they ask you to bring the original documents for verification. The line in which I had to stand was reasonably long, and I would guess that there were around 20 people ahead of me. So at 8:35 I’m standing in a line in front of a counter.

The problem is that there was nobody at the counter. The guy is probably sleeping at his home. So I’m standing in line for like half an hour. Waiting endlessly. Finally the guy appears, sleepy. Thankfully he had this helper who went to each person in the line and checked if their documents were in order so that nobody had to stand in line only to know that something was missing when they got their turn. My documents were good, he gave me a green light. I get my ‘turn’ half an hour later, pay him the fee, take the receipt he gave me and moved to another room for a test.

Now here’s the thing about the test for a Learner’s license in India – its fucking hilarious and at the same time insanely ambiguous. I remember GeneralMaximus who went to give this test, and god was he baffled by it. My experience was pretty much the same. They had 20 different sets of papers, which were laminated; these papers were really old, being used since months, and people had scraped in the answers to all the questions with pens. Finished the test and left. Collected my learner’s license from the same department the next day.

A learner’s license in India is valid for 6 months, but you can apply for a driver’s license 1 month after the issue of a learner’s license. That gives you a 5 month time frame in which you have to get your driver’s license, otherwise, you have to start the process all over again, and get a learner’s license again, and wait for 1 month. (You can also get your learner’s license renewed, if you want to, before it expires).

The lazy bum I am, I went to the transport department on the last day of the 6th month That too when my dad kicked my lazy ass outta bed.

Now here’s the funny part about getting a driver’s license (and it ain’t funny) – you have to submit copies of the Registration Certificate (RC) and Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate of the vehicle you want a license to drive. Since I applied for a license for a Light Motor Vehicle (LMV) and Motorcycle with Gear, I had to submit their respective RCs and PUCs. Now what if somebody doesn’t actually own these vehicles but wants a license anyway so that they can be ready drive a vehicle when needed? Or maybe they plan to buy one in the near future? (Another interesting point here, I’ve heard you need a driving license to buy a vehicle in India).

Other documents required were Form 4, duly filled, a photograph (attached to this, though there is no placeholder for the photo), photocopy of an ID proof. I used my passport as an ID proof. Also, you need to attach your learner’s license.

Also, take along ALL the original documents of which you have included copies. You may or may not be asked to produce them while they check your application. I was asked for the originals, and I didn’t have them. I had to ask my dad to get them for me. When he arrived with them, I got in line again, and this time the fucker didn’t ask me for the originals :/ .

The process for getting a driving license was fairly easier than the learning license. There was a line (small this time, 11-12 people). When I got my turn, a guy checked my documents, took the fee from me (300 INR), gave me a receipt. I then went to another guy who was registering the driving license applicants ( I have no idea for what). He took my application, wrote a number on it, gave it back to me, and noted down my details on a list.

Then I had to go to a nearby ground with my application for the driving test. The guy asked me to take a round of the track on a scooty. Came back. Was a piece of cake. He asked me to go home. Never asked me to drive the car.

I got my license 3 days later. A guy came to deliver it. He asked me for the counterfoil slip that I got when I paid the fee for the license. I had kept it safely, cause I knew I’d need it. After he gave the license to me, and asked me to sign the receipt for the license, the fucker asks me for 20 bucks. I asked him why, and he mumbles, “Chai paani bauji“. I said, “Bhaag ja yahan se, koi chai paani nahi tere liye.” You should’ve seen the poor fucker run. (This is another scam I had heard of previously, delivery guys asking for money from people who’d lost their counterfoil slips, and in general a ‘bakshish’ for delivery from even those who had their counterfoils).

The whole process was painful because the information relating to the procedure of obtaining a license is either unavailable to the people or is not the same everywhere. I read the rules and regulations on the Delhi Transport Website. The page that mentions the rules for getting a permanent driving license mentions nowhere that you have to attach the RCs and PUCs of the vehicles you want a license for. Either those fuckers made this rule up by themselves, or the information on the website is wrong. Also, the guys at the transport department are typical sarkari babus. Coming late. Leaving in the middle of their work, saying, “Chai ka time ho gaya”. Have no idea what the fuck is going. No sympathy for the poor bastards who woke up at 8 in the morning and are standing in line for hours.

My sister says that I’m lucky that I got my license only after 2 visits. She had to go at least 5 times and stand in long lines before she got one.

If you liked this post, or found it useful, don't forget to subscribe to my RSS feeds. Or you can get my posts delivered to your inbox directly, by subscribing to my feeds by email. Or maybe you'd like to know what I'm doing right now, by following me at Twitter.