In order to foster the issuance of provisional and permanent driving permits, the Commissioner General of Police, Emmanuel Gasana, has urged driving school owners to increase their presence in other provinces outside Kigali City.

He made the call during a meeting at the Police Headquarters in Kacyiru, which brought together the Police, driving schools owners, and officials from Rwanda Revenue Authority, Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency and the Ministry of Infrastructure.

Gasana advised the schools to improve sensitization mechanisms of the services they offer so that more people attend and learn the importance of traffic rules.

"The community should be sensitized to attend driving schools so that they may know the traffic rules which help protect Rwandans from road accidents that claim innocent lives,” Gasana urged.

"Schools should as well operate and be governed under the same code of conduct, have the same procedures and also share information on new developments.”

The Traffic Police Chief, Vincent Sano, told the school proprietors that mass traffic tests would be abolished and whoever needs a license in future will be asked to first attend a driving school.

"Three general tests shall be conducted in a year to reduce the huge number of people in need of driving permits; two monthly tests shall also be done at the invitation of driving schools,” Sano said.

"The inspection team of driving schools will be set up and will include RURA, MININFRA and RRA to ensure quality standards.”

There are 23 driving schools now registered to operate and according to information from the police, at least 30 more are set to be established countrywide in 2011.

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