Commercial driving licenses not required for driving taxis, autos
What's the story
Commercial driving licenses will not be required henceforth for driving taxis, three-wheelers, e-rickshaws, and two wheelers (for food delivery, transport services etc.), the government has announced. The Road Transport ministry has released a notification to all state governments to follow the aforementioned norm in compliance with a Supreme Court order from July 2017. Here's more on it.
Quote
Here's what the official government notification read
"The requirement under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, to obtain the transport licence would arise in case of medium/heavy goods and passenger vehicles only. No other vehicle will require any separate endorsement, even if they are used for commercial purposes," said the government notification.
Licensing
Commercial driving licenses facilitated much corruption
Till recently, commercial driving licenses were required for driving commercial transport vehicles. These licenses would often take a year to get issued, even if the applicant held a private driving license. Additionally, this licensing scheme also facilitated corruption, as applicants would often opt for underhand means to get hold of a commercial license quickly.
Anticipated impact
How the move is set to impact traffic, road conditions
Road Transport ministry officials believe that the move is likely to increase employment opportunities for lakhs of potential drivers. However, there's a fear that the move might lead to heavy congestion of roads as a result of more taxis, autos etc. Yet, ministry officials believe that an increase in commercial transport options would reduce people's dependency on private vehicles.