The test crisis facing learners has led to the government promising to take action
Learner drivers are struggling to book tests(Image: Alex Seabrook)
Hundreds of candidates are failing to attend driving tests booked in the two Bristol centres in Avonmouth and Kingswood.
The government has promised to take action on the crisis with booking driving tests and admitted that some instructors are block-booking tests with bots.
On average a candidate fails to attend a test at both the centres in Bristol every day, according to new figures revealed after a freedom of information request. Similar revelations at centres elsewhere in the country have sparked concerns that instructors are unable to sell on every test.
This means that while many learners find booking a test in their home city almost impossible, without paying for an app or a scalper, every day there is likely a test cancelled in both the two Bristol centres because nobody turns up, leaving examiners with nothing to do in the meantime.
The most recent data from the Driver &Vehicle Standards Agency shows that candidates failing to attend a test centre is the most common reason for tests not going ahead in Kingswood and Avonmouth. Between October 2023 and last September, 439 tests didn’t go ahead in Kingswood for this reason, an average of 37 every month.
During the same time, 344 tests didn’t go ahead in Avonmouth for the same reason, an average of 29 every month. In both centres, this represents about three per cent of all tests conducted.
Learner drivers across the country have been struggling to book tests for several years now, with a giant backlog first building up during the pandemic. The crisis has since got worse, with scalpers using bots to book tests and then resell them to learners at an inflated price.
There are two driving test centres in Bristol(Image: Google)
Learners are advised to log onto the DVSA’s website just before 6am on Mondays to attempt to book a test, when a new batch is released, although often they are all booked up within a few minutes.
One trick is to book a test in a quieter centre far away and then later change the location closer to home — but this can also be hard without resorting to paying a scalper or for an app.
There are a few apps available, at a price of £15 for example, that offer to rebook tests, but they are not always reliable. Scalpers also offer to rebook tests for learners, at a range of prices such as £80 for example. This is on top of the £62 fee for booking a test in the first place.
Speaking in April, transport secretary Heidi Alexander said: “We inherited an enormous backlog of learners ready to ditch their L-plates but being forced to endure record waiting time for their tests. We simply cannot deliver on our Plan for Change if thousands remain held back, with their aspirations on pause.
“I am instructing DVSA to take further action immediately to reduce waiting times which will see thousands of additional tests made available every month. We’re acting fast to get Britain’s drivers moving.”
Emma Bush, managing director of AA Driving School, added: “Learner drivers have been dealing with frustratingly long waiting times to book a driving test since the easing of pandemic related restrictions several years ago. Many people, particularly young people, need to pass their driving test for their job or to access education.”
A raft of changes to the booking system are now being proposed, and the DVSA is consulting the public about them until July 23. These include changing who can book driving tests, potentially so that only learners can book tests for themselves, and stopping instructors from doing so. Another option is removing the ability to swap tests or change locations.
Allowing tests to be swapped and instructors to book tests has led to “unfair booking practices, exploitation of some learner drivers, and a secondary market of test resales”, according to the DVSA. Scalpers currently book a test using a learner’s provisional licence details, then find another learner who will pay extra for that test, and swap the test to the paying learner.
Not all the tests they book are sold, potentially giving a reason for the high numbers of tests that don’t go ahead because a candidate doesn’t turn up to the centre. Other reasons for tests not going ahead in Bristol were far less common, according to the freedom of information request.
These included candidates arriving late for the test, vehicles not suitable for the test, mechanical failure, or even traffic congestion. Just four tests didn’t go ahead on average each month in the two Bristol centres because candidates arrived late; while six tests didn’t go ahead because of mechanical failure, the second most common reason after candidates not turning up.