Fish Hoek Licensing Centre drives into a decade of service
01 October 2020
The Driving License Testing Centre, which is the only facility of its kind in the ‘deep south’ recently marked 10 years since it first opened its doors to the public, with nearly 400 000 transactions performed since.
The City of Cape Town’s Fish Hoek Driving License Testing Centre has cracked a decade of service to the public.
The centre, which is the closest of its kind for residents in the deep south suburbs of Simon’s Town, Scarborough, Fish Hoek, Ocean View, Masiphumelele and Kommetjie, first opened its doors on 22 September 2010.
Since then, staff at the centre have processed:
158 827 learner license tests
97 550 driving license tests
100 056 license card renewals
9 745 public driving permit applications
1 221 disabled disc applications
Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith and a group of councillors and subcouncil representatives who played an integral role in funding the establishment of the centre, paid a courtesy visit to the facility earlier today, to congratulate staff on the milestone.
‘Our Driving License Testing Centres provide a very crucial public service, with varying views and experiences around the quality of service delivered. However, having reviewed the numerous plaudits directed at the Fish Hoek centre, I am satisfied that staff here are doing the work and going the extra mile. I wish them well as they work towards their next milestone,’ said Alderman Smith.
The City of Cape Town operates 18 Driving License Testing Centres across the metropole. These facilities were all closed during the first few months of the national COVID-19 lockdown.
Since their phased reopening in June, they have managed to clear most of the backlogs that accumulated during the lockdown and have started taking new bookings for both learner and driving license tests.
‘Our staff have worked very hard to clear the backlogs. Many of our centres have extended their operating hours to include Saturday and Sunday services until further notice. They’ve also introduced SMS services to alert applicants waiting on the arrival of their new driving license cards, and providing times for pick up, which has really alleviated the pressure on the system. In addition, they have also assisted persons more at risk of COVID-19 by slotting them in on weekends to mitigate the risk of exposure.
‘All round, it has been a herculean effort and we extend our sincere thanks to the staff who have put in the hours to get things back on track, but also to the public for their patience as we adjusted to the new normal,’ added Alderman Smith.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
