Al Rayah Driving School will be shifted to a new location to accommodate more learners, according to Hassan Nassar, manager, Dallah Driving Academy, the former’s sister company.

Speaking to Gulf Times, Nassar said they are still “making necessary preparations” but transferring the school’s operations to the new location in Umm Salal will take about six months to one year.

“We are doing everything to make the training area and its facilities ready for our aspirants,” Nassar added.

Al Rayah has been using the facilities of Dallah in Industrial Area in Doha after it was ordered by the Supreme Judiciary Council in October to vacate its previous location in Al Messila.

Nassar said they find it fitting to have a separate site for Al Rayah Driving School despite the current premises’ accessibility and suitability for the learners’ training.

"We do not want to sacrifice the quality of our services for profit," he said while citing the increasing number of learners during this period.

Al Rayah currently uses 150 vehicles for road practice while Dallah, believed to be the biggest driving school in Qatar, has around 200 cars and 50 heavy equipment vehicles.

While the ban on 240 categories of workers has affected their business, Nassar pointed out that the number for applicants who want to obtain a driving licence will continue to increase.

Some of the reasons include Qatar’s growing population, comprised of professionals and other qualified aspirants, and big ticket projects that require more manpower.

“The ban has somehow affected our business but we believe that a driver’s licence in the country remains a necessity, particularly for some professions,” the manager said.

He said that the school receives an average of 2,000 applicants monthly during the peak periods and around 1,000 during off-peak periods such as Eid and the summer holidays.

“We have to understand that a driving licence is considered as a very basic thing in Qatar and a lot of people want to obtain one,” Nassar said.

However, he stressed that getting a licence in Qatar has become very difficult with a higher percentage of aspirants failing the test.

He believes the Traffic Department’s plan to impose stricter measures and raising the standard in obtaining a driver’s licence is part its aim of making the country’s roads safer.

“A well-trained aspirant will become a good driver and deserves to get a licence. Otherwise, it will be more difficult for him or her,” he added. “Our goal is to produce more excellent drivers and those who abide by the traffic rules.”

With the growing competition in Qatar, driving schools such as Dallah and Al Rayah are exerting efforts to further improve their services aimed at enticing more customers.

Dallah made its bilingual website (dallahdrivingacademy.com) informative, user-friendly, and interactive to potential learners as part of its strategy. Residents can now check if they are qualified to register without visiting the driving school.

“They just need to type their title/occupation (written on every Qatar ID) on our website and wait for a response,” Nassar said.

The website also features a free “practice theory driving exam” for all learners who want to test their skills and knowledge on traffic signs and rules.

Apart from posting basic information such as fees and requirements needed for registration, Nasser said they also respond promptly to inquiries on its Facebook page.

He added that they will continue to raise the quality of their services and do a lot of marketing efforts, particularly online, to maintain the school’s passing rate.

Another key to be competitive in such industry, he noted, is by offering excellent training course that covers all topics required by the Traffic Department, according to Nasser. “We also have a dedicated sales team who bats for ‘customer relationship management.”

Dallah and Rayah are also planning to offer discounts to those who plans to re-register and pursue obtaining a licence.

About the fees, he noted that all driving schools have signed an agreement with the Traffic Department to have uniform rates.