The cabinet has approved in principle transport authorities' plan to require an applicant for a driver's licence to finish a training course of at least 15 hours and pay up to 6,000 baht for the lessons.
Sanit Phromwong, director-general of the Land Transport Department, said the Transport Ministry would issue a new regulation this year to require would-be drivers to pass a training course at the driving schools certified by the department before they can apply for the licences.
Previously, the required training hours were four before being raised to five on Jan 1.
"The training fee schools may charge each applicant is capped at 6,000 baht, which is not high and lower than that in many developed countries," Mr Sanit said.
Applicants can proceed to apply for the licences at 90 certified driving schools nationwide after passing the training courses there since their systems are linked electronically with the department's, Mr Sanit said.
"After the cabinet approved in principle the draft regulation, the Council of State will scrutinise it and returned the vetted version to the Transport Ministry. It will then be published in the Royal Gazette in which the effective date is set, most likely within this year," he said.