[File Photo]

The Land Transport Authority should stop approving new driving schools around Fiji, as there are already enough driving schools.

This was one of the submissions made by Deo Narayan, the President of the National Driving School, during the LTA public consultation in Labasa.

Narayan claims that Fiji has enough driving schools except for the Suva-Nausori corridor, and at times existing schools are not even used by learners.

Another LTA proposal that was strongly opposed during the consultation was the minimum qualification requirements for driving instructors.

The proposal is for instructors to have a diploma qualification or five years of experience as a driving instructor.

However, the President of the Northern Driving School, Rajendra Prasad, opposed this saying it should be given to newcomers and not those experienced driving instructors who have been teaching for over a decade.

The LTA is conducting nationwide consultations on its three proposed policies.

These include minimum qualification requirements for driving instructor permits, a gender-balanced working environment for the PSV industry, and mandatory drug tests for new or renewing driver licenses.