DVSA consultation on suggested changes to test booking system – comments from ADINJC

The ADINJC resolutely stands against the exploitation of our learners.

Due to COVID we have a massive demand for driving tests that the DVSA is not dealing with for a variety of reasons.

Test reselling is a sympton of a price surge in the secondary market for driving tests driven by people using booking bots to secure driving test slots.

If your learner wants to pay extra to secure an earlier test date, who are you to say that they should not.

The entertainment industry is well known for it and even has its own professional association “The Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR)” which is approved of by the government!

Booking bots are a symptom of the problem rather than the cause of it.

We have two articles here from ADINJC Governing Committee members exploring some aspects of this.

These are the opinions of individual members of the Governing Committe, not the committee as a whole.  We discussed the subject at our meeting at the weekend and there was no consensus either way.

Article One by David Allen, Governing Committee member

Hi, the purpose of this article is to explain how each of the current proposed changes to managing and booking practical car driving tests will affect both learner drivers and of course us the driving instructors.

I will look at each option in turn and the immediate effects.

1. Who can book and manage driving tests

Option A: Only learner drivers can book and manage tests

In this option:

• Instructors would no longer be able to book or manage car driving tests for learners
• Instructors could still use the OBS to set dates and times when they are available and unavailable for driving tests

If only pupils are able to book driving tests. You will have a number of considerations:

• We would have to up-date the OBS on a regular basis to stop pupils booking at times, dates or places that we would be able unavailable
• Our T&C’s should make it very clear that we have the last say on if we provide a training vehicle for the test
• We could get round all this by booking in car with the pupil

Option B: Both learners and instructors can book, but only learners can make changes

In this option:

• Learners and instructors could book tests as they do now
• Instructors could still use the OBS to set dates and times when they are available and unavailable
• Only learners could make changes to booked tests or swap tests

As instructors we keep the use of the OBS system to book practical tests, but we would not be able to swap our pupils’ tests for them. This could create companies who will offer a matching service to pupils who want to swap.

Option C: Keep the current system

In this option:

• Learners could continue to book and manage tests
• Instructors could continue to book and manage tests for their learners
• Businesses that provide learner driver services and employ driving instructors could continue to book and manage tests for learners they are training

If instructors lose the ability to manage tests and pupils can’t source earlier or later test dates they will have to go to the back of the test queue, which is up to the maximum of 24 weeks in some areas.

If the demand for tests is greater than the availability the pupil will have to wait even longer, until hopefully the waiting list time reduces.

2. How tests can be managed

Option A: Remove the ability to swap tests or change test locations

In this option learners could:

• No longer swap tests with someone else
• Make 2 changes to their own test’s date and time at the same test centre
• Be unable to change the location of their test
• Still cancel and rebook tests if they need a different location

This option stops either companies or people who use the OBS system from financially exploiting the system. Currently they do this using a pupils provisional driving license number to book a test and then swap with another pupil, who wants an earlier date and pays extra for it.

This can mean tests are being sold for between £90 and £250 depending on how early the date of the test is. In other words, the shorter you have to wait the higher the cost of your test.

I have seen tests being brought on a Monday, for tests in 24 weeks’ time and then being advertised for about £90 a few hours later, when there are no more available to book.

The option of the pupil only changing 2 times is only viable if they can find an earlier or later date and also the driving instructors available.

This option should in theory increase availability when tests come out for 24 weeks’ time but only if availability is greater than demand.

Option B: Limit test swaps and location changes

In this option:

• Learners could make up to 2 changes or swaps to their test for example, one change and one swap
• Tests could only be moved to test centres within a certain geographical area of the original booking
• We could adjust these limits during busy periods if needed

By allowing swaps the people selling tests via the swapping option can still function, but on a limited scale. They can still buy them all up and sell them a few weeks or months before they take place.

Also, it will disadvantage people who decide to move their place of residence if they already have a test booked at a certain distance from this.

It does give us driving instructors to swap tests between pupils and the option is a balanced one.

Option C: Keep current swapping rules and location change rules

In this option tests:

• Could continue to be swapped with no limits
• Dates and times or locations could be changed up to 6 times

This is what is currently happening and the waiting list for practical tests keeps getting longer and longer. Einstein’s definition of madness, “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result”.

In summary

Allowing swaps means the test booking system can still be exploited by companies or individuals misusing the system to sell tests at an inflated price.

Not allowing swaps means more no-shows and possible fails as pupils will be working towards a test date rather than a driving standard.

With long waits for tests, pupils will be booking driving tests as soon as they pass their theory tests.

If they need to change their date they will be restricted to when the next lot of tests become available which could be many months away.

Being able to swap allows the pupil to be able to better manage their readiness for the test.

Allowing the instructors to swap on behalf of the pupils gives the pupil greater access to more suitable tests.

Article Two by Fiona Clarke, Governing Committee member

Test Booking on the OBS (and why we should vote for No Change)

So the DVSA are asking us to vote on 3 options, which one would you vote for?

For me it’s a simple choice, we should vote for No Change……

The simple facts are that there are NOT enough Tests supplied by the DVSA and so demand outstrips the supply. Which makes the Tests that are available ‘worth’ more than the £62 that they are legally able to be sold for.

How can the DVSA provide more Tests or examiners?

• Employ more examiners
• Ask examiners to do longer hours / work more days
• Improve the pass rate / lower the standard

None of the above are easy fixes, so the DVSA are looking at other areas to make it look like they are doing something to keep the public and government departments happy that something is happening.

They are convinced that Bots are rampant on the Online Booking System, skimming off each and every Test slot that becomes available.

Well I’m sure there are some Bots on there, and I’m sure there are some ADIs on there who are abusing the system, but the vast majority of ADIs who use the OBS use it to make our lives, our small businesses and our pupil’s lives easier.

Everyone complains that the waiting times for Tests are too long, and they cannot log on and find a Test. If you are registered to use the OBS, you have control, you can log on (ok at 6am on Monday morning) and book a test for 24 weeks time.

Then you have a list of your pupils with tests across the coming months, and when you are assessing your pupils readiness for Test, you can work out which of your pupils is ready to take that particular Test, and then it’s so easy to swap two pupils over, simply one click of a button.

If you don’t have two pupils who can do a convenient swap, then you can look for a change of date, either move that Test forward or back, to a date that suits your pupil. That’s trickier now, because of the scarcity of Tests, but they do come up.

So that’s where a local WhatsApp group really comes into its own. Where I’m based we have a local Test Swap group of 150 instructors and we ask on here for help, offering Test Dates if a pupil isn’t going to be ready, if we have a clash of dates, if a pupil is going to be ready much sooner than expected.

No money changes hands, it is all about mutual help for our colleagues and our pupils.

Tests don’t get wasted because a pupil will not be ready, we offer it as a swap on the group, rather than it being a No Show.
Pupils do not have to wait months for another test date, when just a few more weeks is all they need.

It takes a few minutes to book a test for a pupil on the OBS, I won’t do it without having their £62 test fee paid to me first, I used to do it in the car on a lesson, when tests were readily available, but currently I do log on at 6am on a Monday morning.

I make it very clear that the date that is booked, can be changed if the pupil is not ready for test, must pass a mock test, and if they do not, they must either provide another vehicle for test, or take my professional advice and move their test.

I also do not charge an administration fee for booking tests, or swapping tests, or changing tests.

It’s not illegal to do so, but you must make it clear if you do.

However, it is surely not right to take advantage of your pupils, who will over a period spend a lot of money with you.

It helps my business to keep pupils moving through, it helps me to get new pupils started rather than have to keep telling new enquiries I cannot start them yet, it keeps my business fresh and growing.

It helps my pupils spend less money on lessons, because they get to have a Test when it suits them. They do not have to buy a cancellation app, they can ask me to see if there is a swap available locally in the WhatsApp group, or on the OBS.

Nobody is being exploited, I’m using the OBS in a fair and proper manner and so are my colleagues.

To stop ADIs being able to access the OBS, is going to penalise the hard working honest ADIs who are working hard with a system that is broken.

To take away our ability to book tests, swap and change them is restricting how we manage our businesses and it will detrimentally affect the throughput of pupils we have in our diaries.

The DVSA should be looking at introducing legislation to tackle ADIs who are abusing the system, securing the system against bots, and making sure they have enough examiners to provide additional tests for us.

Reducing tests available will only increase their value, which means their value on the black-market will only rise.

That is not the outcome any of us want.