The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has revealed a 7-point plan to reduce driving test waiting times, which includes recruiting 450 driving examiners in Great Britain and looking at measures to end the exploitation of learners seeking to book tests.
Long waiting times for a driving test can result in learners paying significantly more than the standard test fee. This is because of third party websites reselling driving tests but at a higher price to make a profit.
One of the measures being introduced includes stricter terms and conditions for businesses booking tests from 6 January 2025. This will stop resellers booking tests for learners they don’t teach and will also help prevent them buying up tests to sell at a profit which reduces test availability for genuine customers, and so that they no longer exploit learners.
DVSA has also today launched a call for evidence until 11 February 2025 to gather insights on how the booking system can be made fairer and easier to use.
Other actions in the plan include recruiting 450 driving examiners in Great Britain to increase the availability of tests and extending the cancellation period for learners from 3 to 10 days to reduce late cancellations.
These changes will help to:
- make test slots available to genuine learners at standard prices
- reduce the time a learner waits for a test
- make sure the driving test booking system is fairer for all
This forms part of DVSA’s commitment to provide 1.95 million car driving tests between April 2024 and March 2025, with the goal of reducing waiting times to 7 weeks by December 2025.
Loveday Ryder, DVSA chief executive, said: “We are delighted to launch our 7-point plan to reduce driving test waiting times. The measures will help make the driving test booking system fairer for learners, better protecting them from exploitation, and continue to provide them with the tools to help them pass their test.
“The plan will build on our work last year which provided over 2 million tests to help learners get on the road sooner.
“We are asking learners, driving instructors and the driver training industry for their views on our booking system and processes, so we can better understand their needs and gather evidence ahead of any changes.”
DVSA will also expand the “Ready to Pass” campaign to help learners throughout the whole process of learning to drive and help them to be better prepared before taking their test. This will increase their likelihood of passing their test the first time, reducing overall demand on the system.
Lilian Greenwood, future of roads minister, said: “Passing your driving test is a life changing opportunity for millions – but sky-high waiting times for tests in recent years have denied that opportunity to too many people.
“No one should have to wait six months when they’re ready to pass, travel to the other side of the country to take a driving test or be ripped off by unscrupulous websites just because they can’t afford to wait.
“The scale of the backlog we have inherited is huge, but today’s measures are a crucial step to tackle the long driving test wait times, protect learner drivers from being exploited, and support more people to hit the road.”
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation said: “Learning to drive is a key milestone in gaining independence, and it’s important that learners have fair access to driving tests when they are ready.
“The DVSA’s commitment to tackling the use of test booking slots by third-party resellers is a vital step in ensuring a fairer system for genuine candidates. Combined with the measures to encourage learners to be well-prepared through the ‘Ready to Pass?’ campaign, these reforms should help improve the experience for learners and support them in becoming safe, confident drivers.”
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