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• There are zero slots available online, especially in Centurion.
• One reader on the other side of the fence, shares her views as an employee.
• For more motoring stories, go to www.Wheels24.co.za
In a bid to put pressure on the RTMC, and the Department of Transport to come up with alternative solutions, or fix the online booking system, we continue to publish letters from readers about the failing system.
This time, a Wheels24 reader who works at a driving licence testing centre shares her views and experience of the situation as an employee.
Reader M. Burger explains what one of the problems could be contributing no availability of slots.
As an employee of the Ekurhuleni Metro licencing department, I understand the frustration of the online system. I started at another department which was also a failure more than ten years ago. However, to our station's defence, we can't always handle the volumes of applicants streaming to the station to make appointments.
Image: News24/Duncan Alfreds
The other "problem" we are also experiencing, is driving schools from different Metros and regions (not local), bringing their students on a daily basis to our local Metro (Ekurhuleni). This creates problems for the local driving schools and public applicants that want to book. We are an open service environment, and we want to help as many as possible, but we are being overloaded by applicants who don't even reside locally. These are also mainly the applicants to be most aggressive towards our staff if things don't go their way.If people and driving schools could stay in their own regions, it might help the frustrations of the public service staff as well.
It really is a big problem, for both the applicants/driving schools, as well as the public servant.
I also know that the RTMC is encouraging people to go to the nearest places with dates available, or locations outside of their area, especially with the renewals of drivers licences. I have had family living on the East Rand that had to drive all the way down to either the Free State or on the far side of the West Rand (Carletonville). And this is ridiculous.
To be honest, I don't have a solution, because the only thing that might have "worked" is if an applicant brings proof of residence to stay local, but this too was not very successful in the past. It actually created more problems.
