name: Ron Wise
lives: Hollins, nr Oldham
works: Failsworth
travels by: car
TIF vote: AGAINST
"It’s a really difficult time anyway, what with fuel prices going up.
"Last year I was doing 30 hours a week; this year it’s 20 hours. The going rate for a lesson is £20 - £23 but the way things are, people are cutting back. And sometimes it’s the driving lessons that go. That’s just the way it is.
"But if a congestion charge comes in, that would be devastating.
"I live about half a mile outside the outer charging ring and the nearest test centre at Failsworth is half a mile inside. It’s already costing me an extra £25 a week in fuel; with the charge, that’d be another £50 a week, paying the maximum £10 a day.
"Us driving instructors, we need to make a living. Fuel prices are going up - we’re going to have to stand that. We should have put our prices up this year but we’re not doing it because our clients can’t afford it.
"Most of them are students, or people out of work – they’re already feeling the pinch. And the congestion charge is going to be another nail in the coffin."
Driving tests
"But it’s not just us - it’s going to affect driving examiners too. There are four driving test centres - Cheetham Hill, Failsworth, Whalley Range and Reddish - and they’re all within the outer charging ring. So that’s going to cost people turning up to take their tests.
"Most of the clients we have are students, or people out of work. A congestion charge is going to be another nail in the coffin."
Ron Wise, driving instructor
I’ve worked it out that there are approximately 23 tests per day. In the summer, you can take your test as early as 7.30am and the congestion charge could affect 12 of those tests.
"And if people don’t book tests within the charging times, it means that there’ll be fewer tests available, you won’t need as many driving examiners, and you won’t need as many test centres.
"There’ll be a reduction in revenue for the government through the Driving Standards Agency [DSA] and the DVLA but more importantly there’ll be a reduction in the money available for the integrated transport system.
"And if that doesn’t come to fruition, there’ll be a loss of jobs in the city, and a loss of jobs in the outer areas. Which is bad for Manchester.
"They talk about having an improved public transport system – I’m all for that. But who’s going teach your bus drivers and your taxi drivers?
Exemption
"I believe quite strongly that the congestion charge for Greater Manchester has not been explored properly as far as driving instructors are concerned.
"My union the Driving Instructors’ Democratic Union is going to make a representation and hopefully get a meeting with the authorities to discuss it in greater detail.
"We’re hoping that the authorities are going to look on driving instructors favourably as they have done with other groups."
