Driving instructors face ban on booking tests to stop bots taking slots
Driving instructors could be banned from reserving tests to stop bots from mass-booking new slots.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is also considering preventing bookings from being swapped between candidates.
Learners currently face a huge backlog to take a driving test, with 603,000 future tests booked as of the end of April – up from 521,000 a year ago.
The demand for tests has prompted an influx of bots that use complex systems to block-book new slots so they can be resold on the black market for inflated prices.
Nearly a third of learners, newly qualified drivers and their parents or guardians responded to a call for evidence by the DVSA saying that they had used an unofficial booking service to get earlier test dates, paying an average of £122.
Bookings made through the DVSA website cost £62 for weekdays and £75 for evenings, weekends or bank holidays.
Preventing reselling
Currently, instructors are able to book and manage tests for their pupils, and tests can be swapped between learners. The DVSA's consultation on removing these abilities stated that it wants to 'stop the mechanisms that make reselling possible'.
It added: 'Preventing reselling rather than an outright ban is a better approach.'
Lilian Greenwood, the minister for the future of roads, said: 'This consultation is an important move towards giving learners more say over how and where they can book, alongside setting out options to better enable DVSA to block bots from stealing slots, so learners can get on the road without unnecessary delays.
'Working with the DVSA, we want to make driving test booking fairer, protect all learners from exploitation and reduce lengthy waiting times.'
Loveday Ryder, the DVSA chief executive, said the agency had been 'working tirelessly' to reduce waiting times.
She added: 'DVSA's goal is to make booking a driving test easier and fairer for everyone while preventing excessive charges for learner drivers.'
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