The Manitoba Driver > Improved driver-testing services in (Westman/Parkland) area

The Manitoba Driver, from Manitoba Public Insurance
June 2010

About 550 words
Improved driver-testing services in (Westman/Parkland) area

More appointment dates. Less waiting time. Even greater customer convenience.

These are a few of the new changes which rural Manitobans are now seeing after Manitoba Public Insurance improved the way it does business when it comes to obtaining a driver’s licence.

“These adjustments were the result of an extensive business process review,” explains Ward Keith, Registrar of Motor Vehicles, Manitoba Public Insurance. “We’ve added nearly 800 more road and written test appointments through our satellite mobile communities.

“The review reported that appointment dates were often going unused in some communities, while other communities needed more appointment dates due to increased demand.”

Full time driver testing and licensing services will be offered in 10 major rural communities as compared to the four rural locations that provided services prior to Manitoba Public Insurance assuming responsibility for driver and vehicle licensing functions in 2004. These 10 communities are Winnipeg, Brandon, Portage la Prairie, Dauphin, Thompson, Steinbach, Winkler, The Pas, Selkirk, Beausejour and Arborg (Gimli for commercial class testing).

These changes are designed to provide more choice of appointment times and allow for more road tests to take place, explained Keith.

Manitobans living in “mobile or satellite testing” communities have two options available: book a testing appointment in their community, or book an appointment in the nearest major testing centre. Geographic studies report that 73 per cent of rural Manitobans live within 50 Km of a Manitoba Public Insurance service centre.

This is what MPI calls your catchment area ─ it’s where you can access more test appointments than before, all just a short drive away.

“If Manitobans living in the satellite testing community choose to take their test elsewhere, their travelling time will be kept to minimum,” said Keith.

Another change following the review is that road testing for classes 1, 2 & 3 will now be centralized in larger rural centres to maximize Manitoba Public Insurance staff productivity and increase the capacity to offer more road tests to customers.

“Moving the class 1, 2 and 3 to the larger centres will also enhance the quality of driver testing standards for commercial licence classes,” explained Keith.

Class 1 vehicles are semi-trailers which by their very nature present a road risk that mandates the highest testing standards possible, said Keith. Testing in service centre locations allows for test conditions that more closely replicate the challenges that these units encounter while driving in major urban centres across Canada and the United States. Offering a more robust practical road test will enhance driver skill and ensure a higher degree of safety on roadways.

Commercial road tests will now be offered in the following 13 Manitoba communities: Winnipeg, Brandon, Portage, Dauphin, Thompson, Steinbach, Swan River, The Pas, Selkirk, Beausejour, Gimli, Winkler, and Churchill.

“By having people write their tests at satellite mobile communities and service centres, we’re able to serve all customers equally well,” said Keith. “Previously, testing service in some smaller communities was unused, while some larger communities required more appointment dates.”

Class 2 vehicles include school buses and buses. For the safety of Manitoba children, it is incumbent on Manitoba Public Insurance to ensure that school bus challenged drivers are appropriately challenged and better prepared for driving scenarios that may be encountered in and around Manitoba.

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