As 'Russkaya Germaniya' writes, from now on in the Netherlands even the most destitute woman can acquire driving skills: the student is entitled to pay the instructor with sex for lessons. It is unclear, however, whether this applies only to females or whether demand for men will also exist. But be that as it may, Dutch newspapers have already seen advertisements from driving schools promoting the service 'Ritje voor een ritje' (Dutch for 'A ride for a ride').
As the name implies, payment in kind is made not for the full course but for each lesson individually. According to Dutch media, 'in the first weeks the number of such deals grew like wildfire'.
Members of parliament from the Christian Union party sent a corresponding request to the kingdom's Minister of Justice. In a multi-page response, the head of the Ministry of Justice, Ard van Steur, after analyzing the situation in detail, concluded that 'although such a practice is immoral, it is legal'.
Further, the minister explained with disarming frankness that 'from a formal point of view, this type of payment is nothing more than a barter transaction. Only two conditions must be met. First, the student must be an adult (in the Netherlands you can learn to drive from age 16, but a license is issued at 18, i.e., upon reaching adulthood). And second, the offer must come not from the student but from the instructor. Otherwise, it will be classified as engaging in the illegal business of prostitution (prostitution is legalized in the country, but can only be carried out in accordance with established rules), which carries criminal liability.'
The Dutch Association of Driving Schools (VRB) stated that although they have nothing against new business ideas, this is too much. 'We would like to note that driving schools making such offers are not members of our association,' said VRB secretary Irma Brouwers. 'We also have no information on how widespread such practice is. The association hopes that the state tax service will put an end to "rides for rides" because payment in kind is not taxed.'