LTO suspends accreditation of new driving schools

MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has suspended the accreditation of new driving schools as it reviews regulatory guidelines.

The LTO said it will suspend the acceptance and processing of applications for the accreditation of new driving schools in the country.

The suspension became effective on June 30, according to the memorandum.

LTO officer-in-charge Hector Villacorta said that regional accreditation committees should process all applications that it received prior to the effectivity of the memorandum.

The memorandum was dated June 23 and called for the review and evaluation of LTO Memorandum Circular JMT-2023-2390 that provides the guidelines on the accreditation, supervision and control of driving institutions, and the standardization of driver and conductor’s education.

The memo aimed to establish an accreditation system that ensures and strengthens the compliance of driving institutions with prescribed education standards.

It also outlined the needed physical sites and facilities, equipment, materials and other similar requirements for schools to undertake driver and conductor education programs.

“Good governance requires that the same be reviewed and evaluated to ensure its effectiveness,” the memo said.

Under the memorandum, driving schools will be allowed to charge a maximum of P1,000 for theoretical driving courses, both for motorcycles and four-wheeled vehicles.

Meanwhile, for practical driving courses, the maximum fee was set at P2,500 for motorcycles, up to only P4,000 for light vehicles and P8,000 for heavy vehicles such as buses, trucks and other articulated vehicles.