The Liberal Democrats have called for an urgent government investigation following a BBC report that revealed touts are paying driving instructors for access to the official test-booking system.
The Mechanics of the Scandal
An investigation by the broadcaster found that instructors were being offered around £250 per month for their login credentials. These details allow touts to block-book multiple driving test slots, which they then sell on to desperate learners at a significant mark-up.
The standard fee for a driving test is £75, but learners facing long waits are being forced to pay hundreds of pounds more to secure a slot through these unofficial channels. This practice of block-booking is a major contributor to the enormous backlog plaguing the system.
A System Under Immense Pressure
Official figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) illustrate the scale of the problem. At the end of October, the number of learner drivers in Britain with a future test booked stood at 642,000. This represents an increase of roughly 70,000 compared to October 2024 and is vastly higher than the pre-pandemic figure of 220,000 recorded in early 2020.
Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Olly Glover described the BBC's findings as "appalling, but unfortunately not surprising." He highlighted the real-world impact, stating: "I have been contacted by some Oxfordshire constituents who have had to book tests hundreds of miles away as the only way to beat this failing system."
Government Response and Mounting Criticism
The government has recently announced measures intended to tackle the backlog, including a forthcoming ban on instructors booking tests for others. From next spring, only learner drivers themselves will be able to book tests.
However, critics argue more immediate action is needed. The BBC reported that an Oxfordshire driving instructor, Peter Brooks, wrote to the outgoing DVSA chief executive Loveday Ryder with evidence of tout payments but said "nothing has ever happened" as a result.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has identified cutting the backlog as a major priority. Her department has confirmed that military driving instructors will provide an extra 6,500 tests over the next year. Ms Alexander told the Commons Transport Committee she would look to new DVSA leadership to "really get a grip" on wait times.
A Department for Transport spokesperson acknowledged the inherited system was "ripe for rogue individuals to exploit." They noted the DVSA has closed nearly 350 instructor accounts this year for breaching terms of service but conceded more must be done.
