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Driver's License 2008 (Part One)
I've spoken about this earlier last year and I've even called the police department in charge of this matter because of the constant failing of students who may have done very well in their test. Here is a link back to that post (link).
I am going to speak about this matter again because this matter has become very clear to the public and much more known amongst people from the older generation when getting a license was a fairly normal thing.
I've made it my new year's resolution to get my license this year. I've been trying to get my license since July of 2007. And finally, after 9 tries and over RO 300, I got my license yesterday on the 19th of May, 2008.
Sure, I am insanely happy and achieved what I thought many times to be impossible but, I've noticed some changes since last year when I first started and I can strongly say that things are still as bad, if not worse, than what they used to be.
Last year, the tests were a week apart but now, it varies. If you are lucky, you may get tested a month later but the most common time gap is 45 days. And if you think this setup increases your chances of passing, you are wrong.
Something which really caught my attention was the receipts that I receive after paying for my tests since the last few months.
If you noticed the pictures of the receipt on the right, you'll see that there are actual sponsors on them, sponsors which weren't there before.
Bank Muscat, Master Card, American express and many more.
I am not sure why they were put there and why is it that they are only bank related companies but if I had to guess I would say that they see the profit in this business and decided to have a piece of it. And if that's true, that would also mean that they don't see any improvements for the future in the testing system.
And again, these are only my personal theories and they may not be true but I would like to get deeper in to this issue and would welcome anybody else's inputs on it by commenting.
After passing the test, IF you pass the test, you go to a certain department where you fill out a form and pay RO 20 to get your license. What I've come to find out is that you can only pay the RO 20 using a card and not cash. Now again, I don't know why this is but I suspect that it has to do with the whole receipt thing and all the sponsors.
I will come with more about this issue in terms of the media coverages and the difference in how it is covered between the Arabic and English media in part two. For now, feel free to share you experiences with the system and even your thoughts and ideas about it.
UPDATE: (Part Two)
11 comments:
The ROP doesn't want to deal with cash. They find it a hassle. Every day their counters handle huge amounts of cash and it causes them headaches with balancing the amounts, making sure none of their cashiers is stealing money, having to transfer money to the bank every day and so on. So they decided that from this year onwards they will only take electronic payments such as Visa, Mastercard, Electron, etc. Their are only two banks in Oman that have payment acquisition services, BankMuscat and OIB. ROP chose to go with BankMuscat.
The logos you saw aren't sponsorship- they are not paid for. Since it is a BankMuscat machine, it uses BankMuscat receipt rolls and on the back of the roll it has logos of all the cards that the machine accepts. It's simple as that.
Mabrook on the driving license :)
This still means that Bank Muscat is getting a piece of the pie. How about the people who don't have a card and would prefer cash?
The system is still very unfair with drivers and something must be done about it in my opinion. I mean, if a person is going to pass after their 15th try, you must know something is wrong.
Thanks for that, man. You have no idea how happy I am right now :D
Congratulations :)
it sure feels great. Not only for the licence, but also for finishing with the lessons and the trials. The whole thing is crab and there is a serious problem with the system, from the timings to the trainers to the policemen and the location. All is mess. I pray for those who are going to contine in this summer
Thanks a lot aamnaa. Am I glad I am out of that now. I really feel bad for all of those who are still going through it.
The system is definitely unfair, because they expect people to make no mistakes and they expect their driving skills to be 100% perfect. Nobody's driving skills are perfect. Nobody would make NO single mistake while driving, whether you have only a 1 month of experience or a 100 years of experience.
I have only came to realize how unfair the driver's license system in Oman is only when I arrived here in the states and got my driver's license. Here in the states the system is VERY systematic. Everything is organized. They do not expect you to make no mistakes. Even if you make mistakes, you are going to pass, as long as you do not exceed the limit. The test here works with points. If you miss 30 points out of 100, you fail. If you miss less than 30 points, you pass. After the test, whether you failed or passed, you receive a DETAILED report about the test and what you did. I liked the system very much and thought that it's very fair and very organized. I did the test and passed it from the first time, even though I failed the driver's test in Oman 4 times.
The examiner in Oman would expect you to make no mistake in the test. If he was kind enough, he would overlook some minor mistakes and just pass you. But if he wasn't, he would fail you for ANY single mistake. Here in the US it doesn't work like that. There are certain things they look for. If you make a mistake, you miss 3 ~ 5 points (depending on the mistake). And if you miss more than 30 mistakes, you fail. I think I missed about 10 points and I passed.
If something like this is used in the road test in Oman, it would be much much much fairer.
I noticed that ROP has been making a lot of changes in the system in the past couple of months. Some of the changes are good and some of them are very bad. They're trying to make the process more organized, but I personally think that they're messing it up even more with the rules they implement every now and then.
The only downside about the system here in the US is the written test. You have to sit for a written test before doing the road test. Although the written test itself is not hard and barely asks for general traffic rules, you should still study for it because they ask for detailed rules you should be aware of. Like the amount of expense you would be paying for driving under the influence of alcohol, and how much you would pay for having a certain amount of alcohol and so on... You should memorize rules like this from the Handbook they give you before sitting for the written test. It's not hard though. I just studied the book for two hours the day before sitting for the test and I passed it then did my road test immediately.
All in all, ROP should understand that nobody's driving skills is perfect, and even if somebody made a mistake, that shouldn't disqualify him for getting a driver's license. They should loose a bit in giving driver's licenses and be more strict in implementing rules and applying severe offenses when drivers violate traffic rules.
P.S: Mabrook :)
Muscati: Is using BankMuscat's Visa/MasterCard just another option in paying the fees or the ONLY option?
Because if it's the only option I can't understand how fair that can be. Let aside the fact that some people might not prefer using Visa or MasterCard, what if somebody is not even banked with BankMuscat? It's just another method of paying.. right? 'cause it cannot be the only method.
Amjad, the ROP do not accept cash any more. You have to pay with a card. It can be any Visa, Mastercard, American Express from any bank. If your card has any of the logos that are on that picture posted here then you can pay. BankMuscat is the bank facilitating the payments and probably getting a transaction commission (a percentage negotiated with the ROP).
Like I said before, there are only two merchant acquiring banks in Oman. If you go to any shop that accepts card payments in Oman you will notice that the POS machine (the machine you swipe your card on) is either BankMuscat or OIB. There is no third option.
Yes it is unfair to say that you have to have a bank card, but then again these days everyone has a bank account. In fact the law now in Oman is that employees aren't allowed to be paid their salaries in cash. Salaries have to be transferred to the employees' bank accounts. I think every single bank in Oman (except maybe HSBC) gives customers debit cards like Visa Electron which they can use for shopping and also to pay ROP payments. Additionally, banks are now selling prepaid cards for people who don't have debit cards.
Amjad: Thanks for sharing that information. That system in the US is amazing and I bet it works like a charm. And about the downside which you mentioned about the US system which is sitting for a written test, I really don't think it's a downside, in the contrary, I think we should have that here ONLY if they fix the road test system first.
Why can't the ROP benefit from the successful systems?
Thanks :D
hi all,
i'm an aspirant licensee and i don't see that day (when i get my driving license) anywhere near;-( today was my 10th attempt and i failed! i'm feelig miserable and eventhough i am not in dire need of a license it would've been nice to get one at least this time. my trainer, my husband all say that i drive good but when the test day comes either the policeman is not in one of his nicest moods or i make one or two mistakes. i do not agree with what mr amjad said about people who don't get their license in their 10th attempt also are horrible drivers! how can u judge them like that? last 3 tests for me were without any mistakes but the rop didn't want to part with his valuable 'passes'. kindly give me any suggestions to pass in terms of location(which is best to get license) or date.
thanks
anju: I really feel for you. I went through that state of feeling like I will never get my license many times. As a matter of fact, I was completely convinced that I won't get it and was very close from stopping all together.
I know that it costs time and lots of money and it causes frustration and makes you feel horrible but there is only one tip that I can give you: Keep on trying.
I am sorry, I know that you wanted more than this but there is nothing more that I can tell you because there is nothing more that you can do. The system is what it is and we can't do anything about it. Keep on trying over and over and don't give up and I am sure a time will come when you will get your license.
And if you have ever tried and you are absolutely convinced that you did well but failed in unjust, there is a place where you can go to complain about it. I am not sure what the procedures are but it is worth having a look at.
I hope you do well, Anju. Don't give up and things will workout soon, god willing.
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