Automated tests for new drivers

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) now gives automated driver’s tests to applicants for driver’s licenses nationwide.

LTO recently installed the Automated Driver’s License Examination System (ADLES) in its licensing centers and district offices that process driver’s licenses.

The ADLES is a system enhancement to the Driver’s Licensing System of LTO’s information technology project, which Stradcom Corp. is implementing.

In the past, manually generated and corrected driver’s tests opened the opportunity for errors and tampering of data. The ADLES is expected to eliminate these problems.

Under ADLES, no two tests are alike since the computer randomly selects questions from a bank of questions and prints out the unique examination form.

Once the applicant completes the test, the answer sheet is fed into the scanner. The answers are then captured from the document using the Optical Mark Reader software. A link with the database of the LTO’s IT system automatically posts the score to the applicant’s driving record.

For a non-professional driver’s license, an applicant must score at least 30 out of the 40 multiple-choice questions. On the other hand, an applicant must score at least 45 out of 60 questions to obtain a professional license, and 18 out of 25 questions to get a conductor’s permit.

Applicants who fail the exam must wait for one month to retest. The tests are offered in English and Pilipino.

Tourism conference tackles LGUs’ role

The Travel Cooperative of the Philippines (TCP) will tackle local governments’ roles in promoting tourism when it holds its Culture of Tourism Conference and Workshop at the Business Inn Grand Ballroom in Bacolod City on Aug. 29.

"Local government units (LGUs) must be the architects and prime movers of tourism development and promotion because when community-based tourism booms with more jobs and micro business opportunities, residents in barangays with tourist spots become the first and direct beneficiaries," said TCP chairman Bobby Joseph.

The conference is jointly organized by the TCP, the first travel and tourism cooperative in the country, the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies, TravelPost magazine and Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon.