Is our department of transport in the safe hands?

IS OUR DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT IN THE SAFE HANDS?

Durban - Renewing your driver's permit ought to cost you R250 yet at Rossburgh testing station it very well may be all around as much as R1000 on the off chance that you definitely dislike your vision.

It seems that the testing station has an arrangement with a private optometrist at Southway Optometrist. This optometrist insists that only eye reports from him or his practice will be recognized by the testing station, and reports from other eye specialists will be rejected. 

KwaZulu-Natal Transport has cautioned that it is not standard practice to pay only R250 for a licence renewal, including photos. If you opt for a temporary licence, additional charges will apply.

According to Thando Biyela from the KZN Transport Department, the typical procedure involves undergoing an examination at the DLTC (driver’s testing licence centre), although it is also possible to have it done at an optometrist. 

Biyela mentioned that the letter verifying the eye test can be obtained from any optometry practice. 

I accompanied a senior citizen to the testing station, where we were advised by several individuals, including officials, to begin the vision test across the road at a private service provider's location.
Located on Titren Road, across from the Rossburgh testing station and adjacent to the Southway Mall, there is a building with three garage-like structures at the bottom, offering various services.

The first structure is designated for eye tests required for license renewal. The second structure is where a woman takes ID pictures for individuals applying for temporary licenses. The third section is for applying for a professional driving permit, which they mentioned costs R2500. 

Before conducting the eye test, the assistant at the first location informed the senior citizen that payment for R100 was necessary. Payment could be made in cash or by card. Once the payment was completed, the senior citizen was guided to a door that led to a dimly lit room where a man with glasses was waiting.

Instructed to sit and read the lower rows of the eye chart on the wall, the senior citizen noted that the equipment used was different from the standard eye testing tools at the traffic centers. Unlike the equipment that brings letters into sharp focus and minimizes glare and shadows, this was simply a chart on a dimly lit wall.

The elderly person had difficulty reading the small letters and was informed that the exam had ended, and she needed to get her eyes checked at Southway Optometrist. 

The guy, who introduced himself as Roshan, said, "Just go across and have your eyes tested and then bring back the letter that they give you so that I can fill out the card that you must take with you to the licensing center." He estimated that the cost of the eye exam at the mall would be about R400.

The woman asked whether a test would help if she could still not read the chart and whether she could renew her license without getting new glasses.

After considerable arguing, the eye tester stated he would clip a lens onto the woman's current glasses in accordance with the prescription if she returned with the optometrist's prescription. 

He promised to retake the exam with her and provide her a document to bring to the Rossburgh testing station in order to renew her license. After the test, she would have to pay an extra R500 for glasses, making the total cost of the exam over R1000.

The woman declared, "This is a scam; they are running a racket."

This can't be tolerated. It takes him a few minutes to do the eye examinations because this area is really crowded. That is R1000 if he sees ten individuals a day. Excellent money for doing nothing, "added the woman. 

Biyela reaffirmed that the public may see any expert to renew their driver's license and that the government had no contracts with private companies for eye examinations.