Driving schools to set new fees by summer?

Driving schools in Belarus are likely to introduce new higher tariffs by this summer as a relevant presidential decree has not been released yet. Afterwards, the Cabinet of Ministers will have to abolish its regulation on fixed costs, the European Radio for Belarus has learned. That could take up to months. Besides, driving schools will need time to have their new fees approved with the local administrations.

Kseniya Perastaronina, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Transport and Communications, has assured the European Radio for Belarus that driving schools would not be allowed to set “crazy” fees.

“They can’t take this cost just from anything. Every driving school will have to justify their fees from the economic point of view and will have it approved with the local authorities. There will be no crazy exorbitant fees. The schools that are located in some basements and that drive old Volgas will not be able to have a fee of Br 1.5 million approved by default,” she said.

The president’s decree, allowing the driving schools to liberalize the learning fees, was signed on February 29. But it will become effective from the moment of publication. It has not been officially released in the press. Moreover, it will come into full force after the Cabinet of Ministers will have its previous resolution about the fixed fees for driving schools abolished.

However, this does not stop the managers of driving schools from calculating what fees they should set in order to get into the black. The increased pay for instructors, the upgrading of their fleet and better venues are described by the managers as worthy factors that can justify higher tariffs.

“We will still have to do more calculations, because we need to change the fleet. That’s why the fees will reach Br 1.2 million or Br 1.5 million. We will take everything into account, including a higher pay to mechanics, instructors and the administration”, says Leanid Belakurski, the director of Auto Galaxy driving school.

According to the director, the biggest problem is with instructors, not the fleet. Auto Galaxy is lacking 7 instructors. Out of those available now, three should be fired, the director says. There is no replacement, yet.

The Signal Plus driving school is also calculating a possibly maximum fee. But Director Iryna Syaveryna is unable to name it even approximately yet. Anyway, their fees will not be higher than at the other driving schools, she says. By the way, Signal Plus will not start new course before their new fees are approved.

“Before the decree is publicized, we tell people: “Please sing up but we will start working only after the new cost is approved. Then you can decide whether it meets your expectations or not””. Iryna Syaveryna said.

Different from their colleagues, Auto Galaxy decided not to economize and will start the new course according to the previously scheduled plans. For example, the latest group started classes on March 5. The trainees will not have to refund the difference after the new costs will have been approved. Their classes will cost Br 599,000 plus Br 160,000 for fuel. The school director says they will not get rich on those several groups. What important is that a principal decision to liberalize the costs has been taken.