Mandurah driving program helps young locals get their licence

As with many young people her age, for Lakelands resident Chei-Lani Bialobrodzki, getting her driver’s licence has meant more opportunities for freedom and independence.

Thanks to the Mandurah RYDE (Regional Youth Driver Education) program, supported by the City of Mandurah, 23-year-old Chei-Lani recently completed enough practice hours to obtain her P-Plates.

Mandurah’s RYDE program assists young learner drivers aged 16-25 years to obtain their driver’s licence, pairing students with volunteer driving mentors from the Peel Volunteer Resource Centre.

Chei-Lani started the driver mentoring course in Bassendean then moved to Mandurah and continued with her lessons, becoming one of the first participants to transfer between learning locations.

Over the course of two years, she met with a driving mentor roughly once per week, including night time lessons, to achieve the 50 hours of supervised driving to gain her licence.

“The people I met through the RYDE program were lovely, and I’d recommend the program to friends after my experience,” Chei-Lani said.

“I’ve now got the freedom to go out when I want and get myself to work, but with that also comes the responsibilities of owning a car. The program allowed me to save money on driving lessons, and I don’t think I would have got my licence without it.”

The City of Mandurah was one of the first Local Governments in the state to deliver RYDE after the Town of Bassendean designed the program.

It is designed to support young people who may face barriers in learning to drive, including those without access to a vehicle or an adult who can supervise driving.

“The RYDE program removes the key barriers preventing young people from getting their driver’s licence, which is so critical for future training, employment and generally enjoying the independence of that next phase of life," Mayor Rhys Williams said.

“I’m really proud of the success of the RYDE program in Mandurah, and very grateful to the volunteers and supporters for providing this opportunity to those that need it.”

Young people who already have their Learner’s permit can sign up to the program for $15 for a 90min session.

Bookings can be made through ryde.org.au/mandurah-ryde or by emailing ryde@mandurah.wa.gov.au

So far, close to 250 young drivers have used the Mandurah RYDE program, which has both manual and automatic vehicles.

The program is a collaboration between City of Mandurah, Peel Volunteer Resource Centre and a wide range of local service providers including Employment Services Group, Calvary Youth Service, Choyces, Streetnet and JSW Training and Community Services.