Inquiries up for driving classes

Given the fear of taking public transport, many want to learn driving, but they are hesitant to sign up

With public transport considered unsafe, many in Bengaluru are considering driving to work.

At the city’s many driving schools, enquiries are aplenty, but given the safety concerns, people are afraid to sign up.

Chethan of Anand Driving School in Basavanagudi says people are just not stepping out like before.

“We used to have about 200 customers a day. But now, we have a maximum of 60,” he says.

At his school, cars are cleaned after every class, typically every half an hour in length.

The school has made it mandatory for instructors to wear gloves, masks and face shields all through a session. “We are also providing free gloves for students,” he says.

Tarun AR of New Scluki Driving School in Wilson Garden, says, “We get a ton of calls about driving classes and most people are anxious to know about the safety measures.”

The callers’ top concern is that the school understands the need to be on guard. “As much as we tell them we are doing our best, we’ve noticed a major dip in enrolments,” he says.

Bhanu Murthy of Nethaji Motor Driving School, Yeshwanthpur, says, “The number of people enrolling for driving classes has decreased by at least 80 per cent.”

But he gets 10 to 12 enquiries every day. Only those who want a licence to drive professionally are still keen on taking classes.

“And we are also continuing lessons for students whose classes were interrupted by the lockdown,” he says.

Safety precautions

Marketing professional Deepika Mehra used to take the Metro to Cubbon Park every day, but with trains cancelled, she now takes a cab or bus.

“They are scary to travel in, so I have been thinking about learning to drive,” she says. Her family already owns a car, and she doesn’t have to worry about buying one.

Deepika has a licence but no practice driving around in the city. She contacted a couple of driving schools near her house in Jayanagar but is still hesitant.

“I have to go into work three or four times a week and I’m working from home on the other two days. I’m worried other people like me and will also be taking classes on weekends. I’m scared I will be risking my health and the health of others around me if I join them,” she says.

She has signed up for a single class this Sunday and if things go well, will attend a few more to build confidence.

Expensive affair

Gautami T, software engineer, says, “Purchasing a vehicle when we are already informed of a salary cut is a risky investment. But it looks like I’m going to have to find a way and purchase one soon.” She finds cabs expensive.

Wallet factor

Learning to drive a car costs you between Rs 5,500 and Rs 6,000 in Bengaluru. The fee is all-inclusive, with the school giving you a car even for the licence test.
Usually, one lesson is anywhere between half an hour to one hour on alternate days. Students can choose how many they want to take per week. They can also choose which car to learn on. Anand Driving School in Basavanagudi has a lady instructor for bikes. Others have only male instructors.

Company schools

Some prominent car companies operate driving schools. For example, the Maruti Suzuki Driving School (MSDS) is run by India’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki. They have 31 schools in Bengaluru.

MSDS is taking precautions to ensure safety of the staff and customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are the usual safety precautions like no physical contact, compulsory masks, thermal screening and sanitisation for staff and customers. Besides these, there is sanitisation of frequently touched surfaces such as outlet door handles, knobs, desktops, keyboards, countertops, desks and other touchpoints regularly.

With restrictions on the number of people who can be together, classroom attendance will be kept to a maximum of one-third of the total capacity at a certain time. There are also online initiatives like digital classroom training with strict guidelines and theory sessions being conducted on video conference call platforms.

(Inputs from Vivek Phadnis)