Cape Town is one of the few places in the country where aspirant drivers can now take a new user-friendly computerised learner’s licence test instead of writing them on paper.
The new method of writing the test is part of a pilot project by the City of Cape Town and was launched by Executive Mayor, Alderman Patricia de Lille, on Thursday 28 June 2012 at the opening of a new classroom housing 20 computers at the Eastridge Driver’s Licence Testing Centre in Mitchells Plain.
She hailed the new test as “an exciting new service that will change how we test learner drivers” and an innovative way of accelerating service delivery.
The computerised test replaces the existing manually written tests, which will significantly reduce costs, as books, pens, pencils, erasers and marking stencils become redundant.
It will also result in significant time-saving, as the tests will be scored online for more accuracy. This will also eliminate the possible risk of examiners improperly influencing the results.
“The introduction of this new system has numerous benefits for the City and, most importantly, members of the public. It will significantly cut unnecessary stationery expenses and free staff to focus on more administrative functions such as finalising bookings promptly. It will also reduce the long waiting periods for the tests,” she said.
The questions are all answered online in a user-friendly and self-explanatory system. The examiner or invigilator will be on hand to fully explain each step to candidates, so that they are not jeopardised by the new technology.
The pilot project is being carried out in partnership with the National Departments of Transport and Public Works, and will form part of a national plan to implement this new testing technology throughout South Africa.
The Eastridge Testing Centre is the first facility in the Western Cape to use this new testing system.
“The Eastridge DLTC is the ideal facility to launch this pilot project as it is one of the centres with the highest number of applications for learner drivers’ bookings,” De Lille said.
This facility currently tests an average of 60 learner drivers per day, but will now be able to double that number.
The Executive Mayor also appealed to members of the public to honour their learner drivers test and drivers’ licence appointments.
“Every cancellation of either a learners or driving licence test denies an opportunity for someone else who could have honoured their appointment,” she said.
