The Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC), in partnership with the Ministry of Interior (MoI), has compelled all nine driving schools in Qatar to adopt a uniform contract format outlining their duties and obligations to trainees.

This has been done to ensure that clients receive quality services, the MEC said in a statement on Tuesday.
The ministerial decision came after authorities spotted a breach in consumers’ rights, including trainees at driving schools, as well as a number of violations in terms of the lack of a contract that outlined the trainee’s name, preferred learning language, important personal information, and his/her rights and duties.
Such actions constituted a violation of Article 11 of Law No 8 of 2008 on Consumer Protection and Article No 4 of the law’s executive regulations.
Both parties have to commit to a set of guidelines based on the uniform contract, which covers a range of aspects such as fees, how to seek redress in case of grievances and others.
____________________________________

* Driving schools shall ensure the availability of a coach fluent in the language chosen by the trainee.
* If the trainee chooses to drop from the driving course for any reason, she/he is entitled to a refund after deducting administrative and permit fees, as well as the price of the traffic manual and sessions already received.
* Driving schools shall commit to providing each session in full duration.
* Schools shall refrain from demanding any additional fees.
* If the school administration fails to act on a complaint by trainees, they can complain to the General Directorate of Traffic as well as departments concerned at the MEC

___________________________________________
“Both parties shall comply with Qatar’s traffic law and its executive regulations,” the statement noted. “The driving school shall grant the trainee his/her full rights in terms of training. In case the school fails to do so, the trainee can complain to the school administration.”
If the school administration does not take any action, she/he can complain to the General Directorate of Traffic, Consumer Protection and Anti-Commercial Fraud Department as well as the Competition Protection Department at the MEC.
Further, the driving school shall ensure the availability of a coach fluent in the language chosen by the trainee to provide both theoretical and practical training even during the absence of the primary coach. In case the coach is male, a female trainee may demand the company of a male guardian, the rules specify.
The uniform contract also covers the area of training fees. A trainee has to pay the owed fees in cash and shall receive a copy of the contract in his/her preferred language in addition to a detailed invoice including a list of the services offered and their cost.
The cash fee covers the cost of theoretical and practical training, the cost of issuing the training permit, the cost of using the test vehicle and the price of the traffic manual.
If the trainee misses a session without a valid excuse, s/he shall pay the owed fees unless the driving school is notified ahead of the session.
“The driving school shall refrain from demanding any additional fees. In case the school does, the trainee can complain to the School Administration. In case they do not take an action, s/he can complain to the General Directorate of Traffic and the Consumer Protection and Anti-Commercial Fraud Department at the Ministry of Economy and Commerce,” the statement explained.
If a trainee has a foreign driving licence, she/he can register for half the duration of the course after obtaining the approval of the General Directorate of Traffic.
The training permit is valid for three months. Upon expiry, the permit shall be renewed at the trainee’s expense for QR150.
In case of absence or if the trainee decides to abandon the course, s/he is entitled to a refund after deducting administrative fees (QR350), permit fees, the price of the traffic manual and sessions already received.
The general rules specify the duration of different sessions, and driving schools are required to commit to providing each session in full duration.
The duration is 45 minutes for each of the following: a theoretical session for all courses, practical session for motorbikes, practical session for small vehicles, practical session for large vehicles and practical session for machinery.
In October last year, Gulf Times had reported that the Traffic Department had finalised a unified curriculum for all driving schools as part of Qatar's efforts to make the country's roads safer.
Prepared by experts in the road traffic field, the revised curriculum addressed the shortcomings in the existing one, besides covering all relevant practical and theoretical aspects of driving.
Meanwhile, the MEC on Tuesday stressed that it was “determined to firmly protect consumer rights and intensify its inspection campaigns to crack down on all violations of the consumer protection law”.
It will refer violators of laws and ministerial decrees to the competent authorities, who will take appropriate action against perpetrators in order to protect the rights of consumers. Violators would be subject to a fine ranging between QR6,000 and QR1mn, and their establishment could face administrative closure.
The ministry also urged consumers to report violations through the call centre: 16001, email: [email protected], Twitter: MEC_QATAR, Instagram: MEC_QATAR and the MEC application available on iPhone and Android devices: MEC_QATAR.

Related Story