Wednesday morning, dozens of people lined-up in Steinbach, waiting to register their teen for Driver Z—but Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) is saying, the rush may not have been necessary.
Driver Z courses are a revamped version of the Class 5 driver education program, specially tailored for Generation Z.
In May, Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) announced that it would be offering condensed summer courses for the program to address high demand, though some families still felt the pressure to secure a spot as soon as they could.
"There was a line-up all the way down to Reimer and around the corner," says Nick Funk, one of many parents who waited to enter Westland Insurance on Main Street in Steinbach.
He says the doors opened at 8 a.m., but he and his family arrived at 5:15 a.m., and to their surprise were tenth in line.
"I chatted with a guy that got there at midnight, and a bunch of people got there at 4 a.m.," he says. "People that showed up at 7:45 a.m. were pretty shocked at how far back in the line they were."
Funk says the pressure stems from the limited number of spots available in the program, and the concern that students may miss out on the course entirely.
"I chatted with a mom whose kid is in grade 10, heading into grade 11, and they missed last year's cycle. Just hearing them discuss what they're going to do if they miss out again and how are they're going to ever get their license is frustrating," he says.
Tara Seel, media and public relations lead with MPI, acknowledges the concerns families may have when it comes to getting their child registered for Driver Z.
"It's the registration process that seems to be throwing people a little bit. We understand that at MPI because most things today are done online—right on your phone or your laptop," she says. "That is on the table for us in the future. Obviously, we would be remiss if we weren't considering ways to make...online registration a reality."
For now, she says there are four ways to register: through MPI service centres, a broker's office, by calling MPI's contact centre, or calling an MPI Driver Education office directly.
Despite early line-ups, Seel says course availability remains strong, at least in Steinbach.
"(Just before 2:15 p.m. on July 23) we have 232 students registered and there's still 192 seats available... (in the) Hanover School Division," she says.
That being said, she explains some communities have filled up quite quickly due to a lack of driving instructors.
"We encourage anyone who might have any interest in becoming a driving instructor to reach out to MPI. The training is free, and we often are able to provide a vehicle for you to do the training," Seel says.
Registration will remain open until available seats are filled or demand drops.
Before registering, Seel notes that new drivers must be set up as MPI customers and have purchased the Driver Z program.
With files from Corny Rempel