The Gauteng Department of Transport recently launched an online booking system for application and renewal of learner\u2019s and driver\u2019s licences.<\/p>\n
This system was apparently put in place for convenience and to ease congestion at the centres. However, this has not been the case for one Wadeville family.<\/p>
Wadeville resident Trudie Breedt allegedly received appalling service recently at the Wadeville Licensing Department, which left her and her family shocked.<\/p>\n
Trudie\u2019s daughter, Cindy, arrived at the department on a Saturday morning (February 2) to take her learner\u2019s licence test. Unfortunately, the test did not take place.<\/p>
Cindy\u2019s visit on that Saturday followed an online application process which requested she be at the licensing department an hour before her test on the day, and although she arrived at 7am that morning, the series of events that followed did not allow for that.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs per her online appointment application, we were instructed to be there an hour before the appointment,\u201d Trudie recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer appointment was at 8am; we arrived there at 6.50am.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy daughter had to wait in the rain until just before 8am, when a man came to fetch all the people outside and ushered them onto the premises.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe front gate only opened at 8am.\u201d<\/p>\n
Upon entering the building, Trudie\u2019s daughter and others were told they were late when they arrived at the cashier\u2019s desk and that they had to pay for their appointments the day before the test. They all allegedly responded that that requirement was not mentioned on their online applications.<\/p>\n
Following an alleged confrontation with the staff conducting eye tests, Cindy proceeded to the learner\u2019s licence system (CLLT), which kicked her out after she entered her ID number.<\/p>\n
According to Cindy, she was informed that the system kicked her out because she was late for her appointment, even though she had arrived an hour early as instructed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy daughter left the licensing department in tears,\u201d said Trudie.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was prepared for that test.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think it is fair treating people this way.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey took my daughter\u2019s money knowing that she would not do the test.\u201d<\/p>\n
The GCN contacted the metro to gain insight into the operations of the licensing department and the CLLT.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur core services at the centre are applications, testing for learner\u2019s and driver\u2019s licences and renewal of both driver\u2019s licences and professional driver\u2019s licences,\u201d said Nhlanhla Cebekhulu, the divisional head of communication and media relations for the metro.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll centres cater for both walk-ins and online bookings.<\/p>\n
\u201cCindy booked online and accepted a booking that was scheduled for 8am on February 2, 2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe booking is confirmed upon the applicant paying the requested fee at the centre on or before the expiry date, which in this case was the date of the test.<\/p>\n
\u201cPrior to the day of the test, the chosen centre has to determine, before the actual test, the code or class of learner\u2019s licence (i.e. code 1, 2 or 3) the applicant qualifies to be tested on.<\/p>\n
\u201cHence, the applicant must report at least an hour before and not when the test starts.\u201d<\/p>\n
The working hours at the centre are from 8am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, except for Wednesday (9am to 3pm) and the first three Saturdays of the month from 8am to noon.<\/p>\n
Nhlanhla added that on the day in question, when the centre opened its doors, eight people came to confirm their online bookings, including Cindy.<\/p>\n
The applicants who had already confirmed their 8am learner\u2019s test bookings were told to go to the class and start their test.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe eight applicants who came to confirm their bookings on the day were informed that the learner\u2019s licence system (CLLT) gives only an allowance of 15 minutes from the booked time of test for the candidate to log on,\u201d said Nhlanhla.<\/p>\n
\u201cFailure to log on within 15 minutes results in the applicant being logged out before the test, which means that they cannot write in that case. All eight candidates who were yet to make payment were advised of these facts.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report also claimed that all candidates continued to take the eye test and proceeded to the cashiers, even after being advised that failure to log on within the specified time would render their tests cancelled.<\/p>\n
\u201cCindy made her payment at 8.14am,\u201d said Nhlanhla.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe insisted on continuing with the process regardless of warnings from the cashier that she might not make it on time for the test due to a possibility of a log-out by the CLLT system.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, when she tried to log on, the CLLT system kicked her out as she was already late.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other people who came after her took the advice of the cashier and booked for other days.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unsatisfied with the metro\u2019s response, Trudie insisted that there was no expiry date specified on the online application for payments and that her daughter arrived an hour early but was unable to complete her test even with payment presented.<\/p>\n
The metro reiterated that booking is confirmed upon applicants paying the requested fee at the centre on or before the expiry date.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe eNatis system that is used to book and test candidates for learner\u2019s licences is a national system that the metro only uses to provide the service,\u201d said Nhlanhla.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the candidate made her booking, the system gave her a date and time on which she should confirm the booking.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Cindy made the payment at 8am to confirm the booking, the cashier explained to her that there was a possibility that the system would kick her out as it was already late, but she insisted that she would like to proceed with being assisted to confirm the booking through payment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nhlanhla further advised the public to note the working hours, and that the requirement for an applicant to be there an hour before the test means within the operating hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince the centre opens at 8am on Saturdays, and our first class starts at the same time, we advise people who make the confirmation on the same date they are scheduled for their tests, to rather opt for a booking scheduled on a different day.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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