Driving test rules to change in bid to cut backlog and stop bots booking slots
Only learner drivers will be able to book driving tests in a bid to reduce long waiting lists and tackle unfair booking practices.
Under new government plans, instructors will no longer able to book tests on behalf of their students and learners will only be able to make up to two changes to the driving test booking before it must be cancelled and rebooked.
They will also only be able to move the location of the test to a centre near the original booking. Advertisement Advertisement
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Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said limiting third parties from booking slots would stop people being "exploited" by online bots and businesses which resell test slots at inflated prices.
Why is it so hard to book a driving test?[1]
Thousands of NHS jobs to be cut after funding agreed as part of major shake-up[2]
Alexander said: "We inherited an enormous backlog of learners ready to ditch their L plates, who have been sadly forced to endure record waiting times for their tests.
"Every learner should have an equal and fair opportunity to take a test.
"We're taking decisive action and these new measures will deliver thousands of extra tests over the next year, helping learners get on the road sooner." Advertisement
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The average waiting time for a driving test was 21.8 weeks at the end of June.
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) figures show the number of learner drivers in Britain with a future test booking as of the end of October was 642,000.
Driving instructors will no longer be able to book tests on behalf of learners under the new changes. Credit: PA
The total is an indication of the backlog of driving tests, which the DVSA has attributed to an increase in demand and some people booking tests much earlier than before.
Some 182,000 tests were conducted in October this year, an increase of 9% from 168,000 in October 2024.
Alexander told the Commons' Transport Select Committee that the Department for Transport's (DfT) target of reducing the average waiting time for booking a test to seven weeks by summer 2026 will not be met.
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Alexander had initially set a target of clearing the backlog by the end of this year.
In addition to the changes around booking tests, 36 military driving examiners from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will be brought into the DVSA to try reduce the backlog.
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Defence driving examiners (DDEs) -- civil servants at the MoD who usually test service personnel -- will conduct tests one day a week for 12 months. The MoD will charge the DVSA GBP100,000 for using the DDEs.
The DfT said deploying military support to public test centres will "benefit both parties" as it will keep their "skills sharp" while also tackling the backlog.
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They will be focused primarily on car driving tests but can carry out tests for bus and lorry drivers if needed.
Up to 6,500 more tests will be made available over the next year at locations with the highest demand, the DfT said.
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References
- ^ Why is it so hard to book a driving test? (www.itv.com)
- ^ Thousands of NHS jobs to be cut after funding agreed as part of major shake-up (uk.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ our weekly newsletter (itvnews.substack.com)