JOIN US There may be a rise in number of cars with automatic transmission and drivers who prefer such vehicles.
But the law, however, does not allow you to get a driving licence (DL) if you do not know how to drive a vehicle with manual transmission.
A city-based nutrition expert and writer, who took her automatic transmission car to an RTO in the city, waited four hours at an RTO. However, when her turn finally came, she was told that the test doesn’t allow automatic vehicles.
“Four hours wasted waiting at RTO office for my DL test only to be told that they will not test on an automatic vehicle. Somebody kill me now,” she posted on Twitter.
When DH sought more information, the writer sought anonymity and said she would not like to be quoted. The posts on Twitter were also removed. “I don't want trouble with the authorities. I just wish they had put the information regarding automatic cars online,” she said.
Transport department officials said they were following the rules mentioned in the Motor Vehicles Act 1988 and Karnataka MVA 1989. “
We do not have a system to award separate DL to automatic vehicles. If the Central government amends the rules, then we will allow them too,” a senior official in the department said.
Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency has said last year that more than 15% of the Indian car market will shift to automatic transmission by 2020.
“There are two reasons for this rise. First, people are increasingly getting tired of shifting gears in the bumper-to-bumper traffic. Secondly, more women, who prefer automatic transmission vehicles, are taking up driving,” said Abdul Majeed of PwC India.
The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2016, however, does not provide for a separate test for automatic vehicles.
When asked, the RTO official said, “Automatic transmission vehicles are a recent trend. Studies have to be done before taking decisions like this. It will take some time,” officials said.