Driving License Renewal

It is that time of your life where you realize that age has caught up with you and the white hair on your head is trying to outnumber the black ones.

It was 20 years of driving license... gone! and a month had passed on top of it.

The power of Internet can only take you upto a point in RTOs. After that, it is only you! This is a DL renewal helper (in RTO Jayangar)

The RTO’s link here seems to suggest that its pretty easy..but as a person not trained to work with government departments, it can be pretty frustrating.

The most practical reference is the step-by-step guide by deepakm here

There are other blogs which can give you a somewhat similar picture like this and this

This is of course if you don’t want to use a tout!

Some notes adding to deepakm's guide:

• The forms can be got for free as well at the "front desk" as you enter the RTO
• You better carry a gluestick(to stick your photos on the forms), paper clip/needle and a small cover to hold your DL. With some searching around, you will find that they do have glue and needles..but on your lucky day, the needle-box could be empty
• The requirement of Medical certificate is not just for people who have crossed 40(RTO link says otherwise). As per the Superintendent, it is mandatory for every DL renewal
• For the step in Minute-03, the superintendent sits on the right side at the end of the corridor marked "Counter 1". There are 3 tables marked with Counters 1(Superintendent),2 and 3(Inward)
• The cash counters close at 12 noon. So make sure you have enough time.
• The Superintendent may arrive late. So make sure you form a queue in whatever space you have there and encourage people to do so if it is not there.
• There are two cash counters. The one which is right on the left as you enter the office from the main door(small queue). And the other one which is deep inside the office and would have more people in the queue. As it always happens, the longer queue is the one which you have to use for "Minute-07" step
• There are two Asst RTOs: one for LL and one for DL. Make sure you queue up to the right one
• Look around, be shameless, let go off your ego and ask! The system has made it hard enough for you so that you go the tout-way. Make them fail! People at the desk will give you some answer. Often, you will find one or two officers on duty doing rounds to avoid touts and making sure queues are in order. They are quite helpful!
• At the cash counter, there could be touts who use the back-door of the cabin and get their forms processed. If your queue is vocal, you can get them to move away
• Give preference to senior citizens(not to mention girls..you would help them anyway! ). It is already hard for you. It is even harder for them

So, assuming you have all the forms ready, the steps are :

1. Get the forms verified by the superintendent. She would write the amount to be paid at the cash counter opp. her table
2. Pay the amount at the cash counter
3. Queue up for smart card with Rs.50. They will apply a 49/- stamp on the receipt got on Step 2
4. Get the forms signed by the Asst RTO (DL) by following another queue. Steps 3 and 4 can be done in any order depending on the size of the queue
5. Go back to the place where your superintendent was. At counter 3(Inward), submit the forms pinned/stapled together and get the acknowledgement
6. Drive for the next 5 years...

Senior citizens can bypass queues in steps 2,3 and 4. It was nice to see the cheer in their eyes while they were using it 

As you can see, If you have a second person with you, it will help since there is scope for parallel activity.

You can find a hundred faults in the way RTOs operate. They have only tried to make it easier for themselves but not for public. Imagine, almost every driver in his lifetime would have to get his license renewed atleast once and they could have made it a lot simpler by reducing the number of queues. They could have a permanent "May I help you" desk.

The big charts of "sakaala" doesn't have a DL renewal reference either

A grinning photo of CM Siddu only makes you think of ousting him the next time.

There is a suggestion box there, go ahead if you have the energy to give feedback. I didn't.

BTW, isn't it time to get your bike's fitness certificate done? Coming soon :)