MP for North West Leicestershire Amanda Hack (Labour) has shared some of the work behind the scenes of this week's changes to Driving Test Booking Legislation. 

On 12 November, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said they were aiming to limit third parties from reselling driving test slots to stop people being exploited by online bots taking all the spots. 

Currently, these bots are buying the driving test slots automatically as soon as they become available and then selling them at an increased price to learner drivers to make profit. 

A driving test costs £62 for a weekday slot and £75 for evenings and weekends but some third-parties are charging up to £500 for these slots. 

According to Hack, 'I've been increasingly concerned about the rising costs learner drivers face when trying to book a driving test. That's why I've been leading calls for urgent action to tackle driving test "swapping", a practice that has surged in recent years, and to make sure only genuine learners can book and manage test slots. 

'That's why last month, I wrote a letter to the Minister for Local Transport alongside 38 of my colleagues, urging the Government to take action to bring prices back down to normal levels. 

'[The week] the Secretary of State for Transport announced new measures to curb this exploitation, including limits on test swaps and ensuring only learner drivers will be able to book tests. 

 'As well as changing who can book tests, examiners from the Ministry of Defence will be brought into the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to help reduce the backlog, and additional incentives will be offered to current examiners to encourage them to remain in their roles. 

advertisement

'These new steps will help bring test prices back under control and ensure that driving tests remain accessible, fair, and affordable for everyone working towards their licence.'