Scooter licence too easy for drivers to get, motoring schools say

Motoring schools have no power to prevent those who complete their 10-hour course from setting off on the road, regardless of their performance

Motoring schools have expressed concerns about a licensing scheme launched in January to allow Category B licence holders to ride motor scooters.

A licence is granted to whoever completes a 10-hour course, irrespective of the performance levels of the applicants.  

The scheme, a budgetary measure, seeks to encourage more people to opt for small motorcycles rather than cars, with the ultimate aim of alleviating the burgeoning traffic and parking problems. 

Under the scheme, Category B licence holders are being certified to ride motorcycles with a cylinder capacity that does not exceed 125cc and a power rating of 11KW or lower, following a 10-hour training course, which includes seven hours of practical training. 

Some 48 drivers have successfully completed their training courses so far, Transport Malta told this newsroom. “To date, 48 drivers, made up of 42 males and six females, have successfully completed the training course and been awarded the certificate,” it said, adding that their licence was soon going to be updated accordingly.

The interest in scooter licences may naturally be a cause for celebration for motoring schools, with the majority of the schools who corresponded with MaltaToday saying they had registered increases in requests for lessons. 

However, a quick exercise into what the courses actually entail revealed that motoring schools have no power to prevent those who complete their 10-hour course from setting off on the road, regardless of their performance. The schools unanimously explained that applicants were only bound to 10 hours of lessons, and that they were encouraged to take more lessons if they weren’t deemed road worthy yet. 

They are not bound to do a test about their riding skills.

However, ultimately the onus for road safety rested on the riders themselves.

“As instructors, we are concerned about the fact that unfortunately if we do not think a person is fit to ride after the 10 hour course, we have no say about it,” a spokesperson for Rudolph Motoring School said. 

“A candidate will still receive the attendance certificate and eventually an updated licence regardless of how safe he or she is as a bike rider,” they said. 

They explained however, that despite the fact that they had had a number of applicants under the scheme already, a case of an unsafe rider had not arisen so far.

Similarly, a spokesperson for Cycle World explained that given that they acknowledged that riding a motorcycle can be somewhat dangerous, they want to approach the new system ‘cautiously’ to allow them to prepare in the most professional way possible. 

Asked whether applicants were finding the transition from a category B licence to a scooter easy, the school stressed that this normally depended on the ability of the student to keep balance on the bike and that the previous licence has no bearing whatsoever on the way a person will handle a motorbike. Another school, Philip’s motoring school, explained that applicants who had experience of riding bicycles had found the courses much easier so far.

The schools also pointed out that the scheme had opened up a new customer niche, which might essentially affect more traditional licences.

“Before, most customers used to choose the more advanced categories, such as A2 or A since, cost wise, there is not much difference from A1 (the licence offered under the scheme),” Cycle World said.

Alternately, a spokesperson for Philip’s Motoring School told Malta Today that the scheme had actually served to better expose the company’s services.

“From our experience so far, the students who have finished their courses have already enquired regarding applying for a full licence,” the school said, adding that some 30 students had already completed their courses with them. 

However, the school also explained that students were encouraged to take additional training sessions if they felt like they were not safe enough to take to the road yet. “We don’t just want these riders to get a licence, we want them to be safe riders above everything,” they said.