BIRN analysis: Security as an alibi for the monopolistic agreement to increase the price of patents

Artan, a 45-year-old from Saranda, knew in October of last year that there could be an increase in the price of patents and wasted no time. Told by an acquaintance of his who worked at the driving school, he immediately enrolled in the driver's course to take advantage of it at the unchanged price.

Artan is not the only one who was worried by the price increase. An observation carried out by BIRN in some of the driving schools showed that in recent months there has been a rush to the doors of their offices to register for the license course.

There were also long queues in the polyclinics of the cities, as many citizens wanted to be provided with the medical reports necessary to register at the driving school.

The large flow came as a result of a monopolistic agreement signed in mid-February between the General Directorate of Road Transport Services, the General Directorate of Taxes and two associations of driving schools aimed at increasing the price of the license, or as they call it institutions, "setting the floor price for this service".

The agreement was considered illegal by the Competition Authority, which assessed that it "restricted, hindered or distorted competition in the market". However, the signatories do not seem to have taken a step back.

According to the agreement, the driving school service was expected to increase by two to three times depending on the categories – putting Albania on the list of countries with the highest price of obtaining a driving license in relation to wages.

The most common driver's license is class B, and a trainee already pays about 45,000 Lek, not including the card or other health documents, but this cost was expected to increase to 85,000 Lek.

The authors of the agreement for driving schools justify the decision with the increase in prices, with the chaos of the market of driving schools and with the increase in security.

Tonin Gjinaj from the National Association of Driving Schools, one of the co-signatories of the agreement, says that driving schools are not a cartel and do not fix prices, but considers the proposed prices as the real costs of their activity.

Gjinaj përshkroi gjithashtu një treg kaotik të autoshkollave, të cilat nuk e bëjnë të plotë programin mësimor teorik dhe praktik.

Duke argumentuar në favor të marrëveshjes, Gjinaj thotë se situata në sektorin e autoshkollave është në gjendjen e saj më të keqe “dhe ka prekur fundin”.

“Ky sektor është i degraduar, ka shumë evazion fiskal dhe tregu nuk është i formalizuar, por punojnë sekserët dhe mashtruesit,” tha Gjinaj për BIRN.

Gjinaj deklaroi gjithashtu se programi mësimor për marrjen e patentës është i mangët, pasi kostot janë të larta dhe shumë autoshkolla dalin me humbje.  “Në fund të muajit ne dalim me zero, nuk kemi mundësi të blejmë një mjet, nuk kemi të paguajmë taksat,” shtoi ai.

Përtej gjendjes ekonomike të autoshkollave, në përpjekje për të argumentuar marrëveshjen e arritur dhe rritjen e çmimeve, kreu i DPSHTRR, Blendi Gonxhe dhe shoqatat, pretenduan se kishin në mendje sigurinë rrugore.

Ata pretenduan se shoferët e rinj dhe të patrajnuar siç duhet janë shkaktarët e aksidenteve më të shumta në vend – pretendim i cili nuk mbështetet nga të dhënat zyrtare mbi aksidentet.

Në 5 vitet e fundit, numri i shoferëve të rinj me deri 3 vjet eksperiencë në timon të përfshirë në aksidente thuajse ka mbetur i pandryshuar me një mesatare prej 245 aksidente në vit. Numri i aksidenteve me përfshirje të shoferëve me 3 deri në 9 vite në drejtim është në rënie nga viti 2018. Ndërkohë për numrin më të madh të aksidenteve duket se janë fajtorë ata që kanë mbi 9 vite në drejtim të mjeteve.

For road safety experts, the problem is not young drivers and the price increase does not necessarily increase the quality of teaching in driving schools.

"The impact of the price in relation to road safety is small," said Artur Sulçe, head of the Association of Experts, Reconstructionists and Damage Assessors in Road Accidents, in an interview on RTSH.

After the decision of the Competition Commission, the head of the Transport Directorate, Blendi Gonxhe, said that the agreement had no binding force, but made it clear that he would not give up.

"Reform in the driving school market, formalization, fiscalization, standardization does not stop and will go to the end," Gonxhe wrote, using capital letters for the word "does not stop."/ Monitor