Shifting gears

David Bester is on the bus on his way to work from an outer suburb into downtown Hobart. For the 24-year-old hairdresser, it is part of his daily routine.

Bester uses public transport for everywhere he travels in Hobart, a city with only a bus system and no train or tram network.

It’s not that Bester is a keen supporter of public transport. It is more to do with the fact that Bester does not drive, despite four years on learner plates and more than 300 lessons.

So as he rides the bus, Bester explains he decided to push his need for a driver’s licence completely to the limit by taking part in the new reality TV series, Last Chance Learners, which began this week.

This really was my last resort to pass my driving test and to try to get my Ps, Bester explains. I am the only one in my family without a licence and in Hobart you need a car to get around.

My best mate Darren lives an hour and a half out of the city and he often drives me around, and never complains. But when I can’t rely on him, I am on public transport or in taxis.

Last Chance Learners takes 10 contestants and then puts them through a series of driving challenges. The contestants are split into two teams and, when a driver passes the test, they win a car.

When Bester is not working as a hairdresser, he is also the bar manager of Hobart’s only gay bar, Flamingos.

For one of his driving lessons during the show, Bester dons drag as his alter ego Miss Monni, and slips into the driver’s seat next to a surprised driving instructor.

I don’t think the instructor knew what to think, and neither did Mike Whitney (LCL‘s host), Bester recalls with a laugh. I have not done drag for a while, but Miss Monni used to perform at some of the old clubs.

With the bus now almost at its destination, Bester won’t say whether he passed a driving test in the course of the show, but does add he has to remain riding the bus until the end of the 13-week series.

I think I am now a competent driver, he says. And getting a car might make my life a little easier.

Last Chance Learners screens on the Seven Network on Wednesdays at 7:30pm.