Alberta taking over authority for road tests

The Alberta government has announced it would reclaim authority for road tests for all types of driver’s licences throughout the province.  Alberta’s Transportation Minister Brian Mason and Service Alberta Minister Brian Malkinson made the announcement  at the legislature. The province will take over road testing on March 1, 2019. Under the change, examiners will be government employees and fees for road tests will be standardized but tests will still be scheduled through registry agents. The province said Service Alberta receives, on average, seven complaints about driver examinations every weekday. “There’s instances of harassment and even assault,” Mason said. “It’s a wild west kind of system.” During tests, examiners will use tablets and GPS technology; the province said the addition will enhance accessibility. Recruitment and training for examiners will start this fall. At this time, 153 privatized driver examiners are working in Alberta.