Military driving examiners will be deployed to rural areas as part of a series of initiatives aimed at assisting learner drivers in obtaining their licenses. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has announced stringent measures to prevent bots and third parties from monopolizing driving test bookings and reselling them at inflated prices.
Acknowledging the challenge of reducing the waiting time for test bookings to seven weeks by summer 2026, which currently stands at 21.8 weeks, the Cabinet minister unveiled the deployment of military examiners to conduct civilian tests. This move is expected to offer an additional 6,500 tests in high-demand locations over the next year.
In a bid to combat test reselling at exorbitant rates, the Department for Transport revealed that only learner drivers themselves, not instructors on their behalf, will be allowed to book tests. Learners will have limited flexibility, with a maximum of two changes permitted before the test must be rebooked. The restriction aims to curb the exploitation of learners by unauthorized third-party sellers.
The initiative comes in response to reports of scamming incidents where individuals, like Lucy Sturt from Hampshire, fell victim to fake test sellers online, losing money in the process. The measures also include learners being confined to a select number of test centers near their original booking location.
To address the backlog of learner drivers awaiting tests, the Ministry of Defence will make 36 Defence Driving Examiners available to conduct tests one day per week for a year, charging the DVSA £100,000 for their services. These examiners, typically responsible for testing service personnel, will focus primarily on car driving tests, with the option to conduct vocational tests if necessary, at centers with high demand.
Armed Forces minister Al Carns praised the collaboration between the military and civilians in the MoD, emphasizing the commitment to supporting civilian testing to facilitate more learners gaining driving licenses. Additionally, Emma Bush, managing director of AA Driving School, expressed optimism that the involvement of military examiners would alleviate the strain on the system, helping to reduce waiting times and prevent exploitation by unauthorized resellers.
Long-term efforts are deemed crucial to restoring pre-COVID levels of test availability, with a call for increased recruitment and retention of examiners to ensure sustainable delivery of tests.
