Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
In a bid to address long waiting lists and curb the resale of driving test slots at exorbitant prices, a new initiative will restrict booking privileges to only learner drivers. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander expressed concerns over individuals being taken advantage of by online bots and vowed to crack down on third parties profiting from selling test slots. Despite setting a target deadline of reducing waiting times to seven weeks by summer 2026, Alexander conceded to MPs that the average wait time for a driving test stood at 21.8 weeks as of June.
To bolster efforts in tackling the backlog, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will deploy 36 driving examiners to work one day a week at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in England. These civil servant examiners aim to assist in conducting tests and easing the strain on the system, at an estimated cost of £100,000. In addition, the DVSA has recruited 316 new examiners, with a net gain of only 40 due to turnover. A retention incentive of £5,000 will be offered to examiners moving forward to retain them in their roles.
Furthermore, measures will be implemented to restrict the frequency and location changes that drivers can make once a test has been booked. With the proliferation of automated bots snagging available test slots, companies have been capitalizing on the high demand by reselling slots at inflated prices, prompting action from the government. MPs penned a letter urging for robust measures to address this issue, pointing out instances where test slots were resold for up to £500, far exceeding the official test fees. The backlog of learner drivers with booked tests reached 642,000 by the end of last month, attributed to increased demand and advanced booking trends.
Emma Bush, managing director of AA Driving School, emphasized the ongoing challenges faced by learner drivers grappling with lengthy wait times for tests. The influx of military driving examiners is seen as a positive step in alleviating some of the strain on the system and deterring unscrupulous resellers from taking advantage of the situation. RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding welcomed the measures to curb opportunistic reselling of test slots, providing reassurance to candidates stuck in queues that their efforts are not being undermined by profit-driven entities
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.