After six and a half years since legislation was passed in May 2018, and following five different justice ministers, Cyprus has finally issued a tender for establishing and operating a Driver Training School for traffic offenders.
The tender, seeking a private contractor to establish and run the school, is estimated at €890,000, which will exceed €1 million including VAT.
Whilst not the first project to face bureaucratic delays, its significance lies in its potential to save lives. Since the legislation’s passage in 2018, more than 270 lives have been lost on Cyprus’s roads.
The Ministry of Justice has allocated €400,000 in its 2025 budget for purchasing services from the private sector to establish and operate the Driver Education School. Similar allocations were made in previous years’ budgets, though the school never materialised.
The project originated in May 2017 when President Nicos Anastasiades’s cabinet approved the school’s establishment following a proposal by then Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou, aiming to reduce fatal accidents and improve road safety awareness.
Parliament passed the relevant law one year later. According to Article 42 of the Driving Licence Law, courts can mandate traffic offenders to attend the school as an alternative penalty, with successful completion allowing for the removal of penalty points and reinstatement of driving privileges.
Despite being considered a significant innovation in developing road safety consciousness, the school’s implementation has been delayed by requirements for operational studies, legal framework development, and teaching staff specifications.
Considerable sums were spent on consultancy studies before reaching the current tender stage. The project has now gained momentum under current Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis, who prioritised the initiative.
Meanwhile, Parliament has revised the penalty points system, increasing the threshold from 12 to 16 points before a driver risks licence suspension and potential referral to the school.
This change requires additional legal provisions to determine when a driver should be referred to the school instead of having their licence revoked.
According to the legislation, drivers will be required to pay for the courses.
The school will accept drivers who accumulate 12 penalty points or are ordered by courts following a traffic violation. Additionally, drivers who accumulate 10 penalty points may voluntarily apply to attend specialised courses upon approval and payment.
The tender specifies that the school will provide both classroom and electronic learning services, including adult education, professional training, and safety instruction.
The facility was initially planned to operate at the Traffic Department premises in Latsia, but the location decision now rests with the successful contractor.
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