LEARNER drivers are finally seeing a flood of test slots after a crackdown on the bot operators accused of hoarding appointments and flogging them for profit.
Motorists have taken to social media to celebrate a sudden surge in available tests, with some claiming they are seeing more cancellations appear in a single day than they used to see in weeks.
The rule will effect who can book and manage driving tests Credit: Alamy
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander Credit: Alamy
One post on a learner driver forum was headlined: “Day 1 of no resellers” and showed several test slots becoming available within minutes of each other.
The Reddit user wrote: “Can’t be a coincidence that now that resellers can’t sell on their tests from today there is a ton of new dates appearing on the DVSA site.”
Another learner said: “I’ve never seen so much Testi notifications.”
It comes after the Government moved to ban automated bots used to up driving tests before ordinary learners could book them.
Ministers believe the software was being used to buy up large numbers of appointments before reselling them at inflated prices.
A Government source said: “This is an early sign that our plan is working.
“We have banned the bots that have been buying up vast swathes of tests, blocking availability and selling tests on learners at an inflated price.
“This strong action means learners aren’t shelling out more than they need to for their tests, and frees up more test slots.
“It will take time to beat the backlog we have inherited, but we are determined to make sure people can ditch their L plates faster.”
Driving test waiting times ballooned after the Covid , creating a thriving market for third-party booking firms and resellers who snapped up appointments and sold them on at a premium.
Freedom of information data accessed by AA Driving School shows the average waiting time to book a test increased from 20.8 weeks in January to 22.4 by April 6.
In February 2020, before the pandemic, the figure was five weeks.
From June 12, it will only be possible to move a slot to one of the three test centres nearest the initial booking.
This is aimed at reducing incidents of people booking a test regardless of location, with no intention of using the slot.
They then attempt to switch tests to a more convenient location if a place becomes available at a later date.
This makes it hard for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to plan how much capacity is required at certain test centres.
Another measure aimed at making the system fairer cut the number of changes allowed for a single booking from six to two from March 31.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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