File photo dated 13/10/10 of an L plate as the fee for sitting the theory part of the driving test i (Image: PA)
A crackdown on a “black market” in driving tests is planned after it emerged motorists are paying £300 for the chance to lose their L-plates.
A shortage of examiners means motorists have to wait up to six months to book a driving test, which usually costs £62.
But a thriving underground market has developed in which profiteers arrange tests on the official computer system and then sell the appointment at an inflated price.
The alarm was raised by the Approved Driving Instructors National Joint Council, which said the long wait for tests began during the pandemic, and added: “This has resulted in a black market which we know is charging as much as £300 for a £62 test.”
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Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood has vowed to cut the waiting list for driving tests.
She said: “The mismatch between supply and demand has presented opportunities to the unscrupulous.
“Test slots are being booked using the details of a learner driver but then being sold on for, in some cases, absolutely huge profits.”
And Ms Greenwood vowed: “We are absolutely determined to stamp out these practices.”
This would include recruiting more driving examiners, she said.
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The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, the Government body that oversees driving tests, is looking for ways to improve its website so that appointments cannot be snapped up by automated systems or “bots” used by people planning to sell on the slot.
Instructors have warned that the shortage of tests means learner drivers are taking them before they are ready, because once a driver has managed to book an appointment they are unwilling to give it up and risk another long wait.
Trade body the Driving Instructors Association told the House of Commons Transport Committee in a written submission: “Pupils are more likely to ‘have a go’ at a test if they have a slot booked, even if they are not test ready, rather than lose the opportunity and have togo back into the system and fight for a slot, or wait an average of six months for one.
“This could lead to some pupils being able to ‘fluke’ a 45-minute driving test and pass – but notreally be ready for independent driving.”
The association suggested that driving examiners, who are employed by a Department for Transport agency, should be paid more in order to fill vacancies.
They are typically paid £26,000 while instructors, who are privately employed, can earn more than £40,000.