NEW DRIVING TEST RULE CHANGES TO CUT WAITING TIMES WELCOMED BY LOCAL MP

Changes to driving test rules to beat the bots and tackle test touts will come into force later this month, in a move welcomed by MP Alex Mayer (today Wednesday 18 March).

The new rules will mean third parties will no longer be able to hoard slots and resell tests to desperate Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency learners for profit.

The main change reduces the number of times a learner can alter a test booking. From Tuesday 31 March, once a test has been booked, the person who booked it can only make two changes to that appointment (down from six).

Alongside the two-change limit, more reforms will follow later in the spring. One is that only learners themselves can book or amend a test slot (from 12 May) and another that learners will have to book at a nearby centre (from 9 June).

When the new changes come in, learners should only pay the actual fee DVSA charges – £62 on weekdays and £75 on evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

The bot and test tout crackdown, which is designed to cut driving test waits, was previously announced by the Transport Secretary at Ms Mayer’s Transport Select Committee, and follows a nationwide consultation on fixing the booking system.

Alex Mayer MP, who has repeatedly raised long waits for driving tests, said:

“Too many local young people have faced long waits and unfair costs to take their test. That’s a problem for many constituents, including those whose stories I’ve raised in Parliament, where getting a driving licence can make all the difference when it comes to accessing work, education and training. These steps will help stop learners being exploited by profiteers and put them back in control of booking their driving test.