Poor government service

I took my son Ryan (aged 16) to write his knowledge test to qualify for his G1 drivers license yesterday. We went to the Service Ontario Centre on the concourse level of 777 Bay (College Park). This location has been open about a year now and the government release announcing it promises to “provide Ontario families with convenient one-stop access to the full range of government services”. In theory the concept sounds great-- you can do everything from applying for a birth certificate and health card to changing your name, registering your business and applying for a fishing license there. You can also write the MTO G1 Test of Knowledge—which is what Ryan was there to do. In practice, the experience left a lot to be desired!

We came away very unimpressed with the speed and efficiency of the service the location offers. The MTO website recommends that you arrive at least 1 hour prior than closing. We showed up at 3:05 PM and were given our numbered ticket by an attendant at reception. It was close to 4:30 by the time our ticket number flashed across the screen indicating that it was time to proceed to one of the almost 40 service wickets. At the wicket a vision test was conducted, ID was examined, a photo was taken and the $85 fee was collected.

After this initial screening Ryan was directed to a common room to write the test (which I believe is 40 questions in two parts testing rules of the road and traffic signs). Ryan emerged after successfully completing his test at almost 5:00! To top it all off, the temporary license he was issued has his home street address spelt incorrectly.

To my mind, this is an unacceptably long wait period and the service delivered was both ineffective and inefficient. I ended up losing over 2 hours away from work to assist Ryan complete the process. (At least I was more fortunate than the woman whose son emerged ahead of Ryan who claimed he had failed the exam (because he did not realize that questions were printed on both sides of the paper) and was told to report back and pay another fee some other day!) I am surprised they are still using printed paper tests at this location. I would have expected the test to be administered and automatically marked via PC terminals.

In summary, I cannot recommend attending this location if you wish to want the drivers Test of Knowledge. You might be better advised to go to the nearest MTO Driver Examination centre instead. Service Ontario could provide better, more timely service by completing the initial part of the application process on-line and /or allowing you to pre-book a time to show up to complete the process. The feds use this approach now for processing passport applications.

Even the lineups for rides and attractions at theme parks are not as long as at Service Ontario (and some issue Fast Passes that allow you to avoid wasting time by reporting back at a later pre-designated hour!)

In any case, Ryan now has a minimum of 8 months to wait before he can go for his first road test to get his license upgraded to a G2. If anyone can recommend a good driving school or instructor, references would be appreciated.