Story of a Complaint: Following the Office of the Ombudsman's intervention, the complainant's license was returned to him and he was also granted monetary compensation

The complainant claimed that the Bureau of Motor Vehicles had illegally confiscated his A1 driving license and had banned him from taking a driving test for a B-level (private car) driving license.

In his complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman, the complainant claimed that the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (Bureau) had illegally confiscated his A1 driving license (a license for motorcycles of up to 47.46 HP) and had banned him from taking a driving test for a B-level (private car) driving license. The complainant explained that he worked as a courier and because of the Bureau's decision he was having difficulty making a living.

In response to the Office of the Ombudsman's inquiries, the Bureau claimed that the A1 license had been mistakenly granted to the complainant through the human error of someone at the Bureau. The Bureau pointed out that the complainant had been examined in the past by the Medical Institute for Road Safety (MARVAD) and had been found qualified for an A2 license (motorcycle up to 14.916 HP) only; he should therefore have known that if he wished to take out a higher-level license, he would have to receive MARVAD's approval.

The Office of the Ombudsman's investigation revealed that in 2018 the complainant filed an application for an A2 license and was referred to MARVAD for a medical examination. After the examination he received approval for the requested license. In 2019 he applied for a B-level license and was again referred to MARVAD for a medical examination. Following the examination, the complainant's application was rejected but it was specified that he could file a new application with the Bureau in a year's time. In 2021 the complaint applied to the Bureau for A1 and B licenses, and the Bureau approved the applications without referring the complainant back to MARVAD.

The complainant successfully took out an A1 driving license, bought a motorcycle and worked as a courier. At a later stage, he began to take driving lessons for a B-level license, but when he asked to take a driving test his driving teacher informed him that he was banned from taking the test. The complainant went to the Bureau to find out the reason and was told that he was not permitted to take a driving test for a B-level license, and in addition his A1 license was confiscated from him.

Investigation of MARVAD's previous decisions concerning the complainant disclosed that they had referred to the complainant's capacity for receiving an A2 license only, not to his future capacity to receive an A1 or B license if he filed an additional application. It transpired that it was the Bureau that had approved the complainant's applications for these licenses, without referring the complainant back to MARVAD.

In light of these findings, the Bureau gave the A1 driving license back to the complainant and removed the ban on his taking the B-level driving test. Furthermore, the Office of the Ombudsman instructed the Bureau to compensate the complainant to the sum of NIS 500, for cancelling the license and for the consequent damages caused him.​