Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the blog post entitled How we’re dealing with bots and the reselling of driving tests, published by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency on 29 June 2023, what progress that Agency has made on tackling automated bots exploiting the driving test booking system.

To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests.

In January 2023, DVSA changed its booking service terms and conditions to help prevent anyone from selling tests at profit. Since then, the DVSA has issued 313 warnings, 766 suspensions, and closed 705 business accounts for misuse of its booking service.

DVSA operates an online booking service (OBS) for Approved Driving Instructors (ADIs) and trainers so that they can book and manage driving and riding tests for their pupils. DVSA has made changes to the OBS by stopping automatic online registrations to use the service, ensuring each company that registers employs an ADI and removing access for any companies not linked to driving instructors.