New driving test application from January, your thoughts ?

MikeJXE

I have been looking at the new terms and conditions applying or changing a driving test.

IMO I believe from January 6th this can only be done by registered instructors or companies employing instructors 

My Son disagrees 

The reason it has come up is my son paid almost £2000 for express lessons for my grandson inc a test in April

He got 21 hours in a month something I though was too fast, the company never found him an earlier test from April 

Both my son and and I paid for apps to auto book a test sooner £60 and £18, both failed to find anything

My son also bought an app £9 that alerted him to test but did not book. 

You have to be extremely quick but my son booked one on Christmas Eve 4 months sooner 

How do you read the new rules ? 

Mildly_Miffed

DVSA's business service can only be used by registered instructors to book for their actual pupils.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dvsa-practical-test-business-service-user-guide/dvsa-practical-test-business-service-user-agreement-from-6-january-2025

That doesn't mean tests can't be booked by other people/organisations in other ways.

MikeJXE

Mildly_Miffed said:

DVSA's business service can only be used by registered instructors to book for their actual pupils.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dvsa-practical-test-business-service-user-guide/dvsa-practical-test-business-service-user-agreement-from-6-january-2025

That doesn't mean tests can't be booked by other people/organisations in other ways.

Who is allowed to use the service

We restrict who can access this service to authorised users. To apply to become an authorised user, you must be one of the following:

• an approved driving instructor (ADI)
• a motorcycle approved training body (ATB)
• a vocational driving instructor (someone who trains lorry, bus or coach drivers)
• a business that provides learner driver services and employs ADIs to provide driving tuition

You are not eligible if you have a trainee driving instructor licence. Instead, you need to ask your training establishment to set up a user account for you in their business account.

We reserve the right to refuse an account.

If we have issued you with a personal reference number (PRN), you must register this in your account to be able to use this service.

You are not allowed to use the PRN of an instructor or trainer who is not associated with your business. 

If you stop being an instructor or trainer providing driving tuition

You are not allowed to access the service when you stop being an instructor or trainer providing driving tuition.

So who are you saying can book tests in other ways ?

sheramber

MikeJXE said:

Mildly_Miffed said:

DVSA's business service can only be used by registered instructors to book for their actual pupils.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dvsa-practical-test-business-service-user-guide/dvsa-practical-test-business-service-user-agreement-from-6-january-2025

That doesn't mean tests can't be booked by other people/organisations in other ways.

Who is allowed to use the service

We restrict who can access this service to authorised users. To apply to become an authorised user, you must be one of the following:

• an approved driving instructor (ADI)
• a motorcycle approved training body (ATB)
• a vocational driving instructor (someone who trains lorry, bus or coach drivers)
• a business that provides learner driver services and employs ADIs to provide driving tuition

You are not eligible if you have a trainee driving instructor licence. Instead, you need to ask your training establishment to set up a user account for you in their business account.

We reserve the right to refuse an account.

If we have issued you with a personal reference number (PRN), you must register this in your account to be able to use this service.

You are not allowed to use the PRN of an instructor or trainer who is not associated with your business. 

If you stop being an instructor or trainer providing driving tuition

You are not allowed to access the service when you stop being an instructor or trainer providing driving tuition.

So who are you saying can book tests in other ways ?

Do it online with guv.uk. 

https://www.gov.uk/book-driving-test

MikeJXE

sheramber said:

MikeJXE said:

Mildly_Miffed said:

DVSA's business service can only be used by registered instructors to book for their actual pupils.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dvsa-practical-test-business-service-user-guide/dvsa-practical-test-business-service-user-agreement-from-6-january-2025

That doesn't mean tests can't be booked by other people/organisations in other ways.

Who is allowed to use the service

We restrict who can access this service to authorised users. To apply to become an authorised user, you must be one of the following:

• an approved driving instructor (ADI)
• a motorcycle approved training body (ATB)
• a vocational driving instructor (someone who trains lorry, bus or coach drivers)
• a business that provides learner driver services and employs ADIs to provide driving tuition

You are not eligible if you have a trainee driving instructor licence. Instead, you need to ask your training establishment to set up a user account for you in their business account.

We reserve the right to refuse an account.

If we have issued you with a personal reference number (PRN), you must register this in your account to be able to use this service.

You are not allowed to use the PRN of an instructor or trainer who is not associated with your business. 

If you stop being an instructor or trainer providing driving tuition

You are not allowed to access the service when you stop being an instructor or trainer providing driving tuition.

So who are you saying can book tests in other ways ?

Do it online with guv.uk. 

https://www.gov.uk/book-driving-test

Yes you can at the moment but the question is 

Can you after January 6th ? 

Mildly_Miffed

MikeJXE said:

So who are you saying can book tests in other ways ?

People who are booking tests for themselves, using other routes than the BUSINESS service.

Car_54

MikeJXE said:

sheramber said:

MikeJXE said:

Mildly_Miffed said:

DVSA's business service can only be used by registered instructors to book for their actual pupils.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dvsa-practical-test-business-service-user-guide/dvsa-practical-test-business-service-user-agreement-from-6-january-2025

That doesn't mean tests can't be booked by other people/organisations in other ways.

Who is allowed to use the service

We restrict who can access this service to authorised users. To apply to become an authorised user, you must be one of the following:

• an approved driving instructor (ADI)
• a motorcycle approved training body (ATB)
• a vocational driving instructor (someone who trains lorry, bus or coach drivers)
• a business that provides learner driver services and employs ADIs to provide driving tuition

You are not eligible if you have a trainee driving instructor licence. Instead, you need to ask your training establishment to set up a user account for you in their business account.

We reserve the right to refuse an account.

If we have issued you with a personal reference number (PRN), you must register this in your account to be able to use this service.

You are not allowed to use the PRN of an instructor or trainer who is not associated with your business. 

If you stop being an instructor or trainer providing driving tuition

You are not allowed to access the service when you stop being an instructor or trainer providing driving tuition.

So who are you saying can book tests in other ways ?

Do it online with guv.uk. 

https://www.gov.uk/book-driving-test

Yes you can at the moment but the question is 

Can you after January 6th ? 

What makes you think you can't? Which "new rules" are you looking at?

AFAIK the only changes proposed are meant to stop the apps which presently book tests and then re-sell them.

MikeJXE

Car_54 said:

MikeJXE said:

sheramber said:

MikeJXE said:

Mildly_Miffed said:

DVSA's business service can only be used by registered instructors to book for their actual pupils.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dvsa-practical-test-business-service-user-guide/dvsa-practical-test-business-service-user-agreement-from-6-january-2025

That doesn't mean tests can't be booked by other people/organisations in other ways.

Who is allowed to use the service

We restrict who can access this service to authorised users. To apply to become an authorised user, you must be one of the following:

• an approved driving instructor (ADI)
• a motorcycle approved training body (ATB)
• a vocational driving instructor (someone who trains lorry, bus or coach drivers)
• a business that provides learner driver services and employs ADIs to provide driving tuition

You are not eligible if you have a trainee driving instructor licence. Instead, you need to ask your training establishment to set up a user account for you in their business account.

We reserve the right to refuse an account.

If we have issued you with a personal reference number (PRN), you must register this in your account to be able to use this service.

You are not allowed to use the PRN of an instructor or trainer who is not associated with your business. 

If you stop being an instructor or trainer providing driving tuition

You are not allowed to access the service when you stop being an instructor or trainer providing driving tuition.

So who are you saying can book tests in other ways ?

Do it online with guv.uk. 

https://www.gov.uk/book-driving-test

Yes you can at the moment but the question is 

Can you after January 6th ? 

What makes you think you can't? Which "new rules" are you looking at?

AFAIK the only changes proposed are meant to stop the apps which presently book tests and then re-sell them.

Then it should be easy enough for one of you to show me where it says you can book your own test 

Sarahspangles

MikeJXE said:

I have been looking at the new terms and conditions applying or changing a driving test.

IMO I believe from January 6th this can only be done by registered instructors or companies employing instructors 

My Son disagrees 

The reason it has come up is my son paid almost £2000 for express lessons for my grandson inc a test in April

He got 21 hours in a month something I though was too fast, the company never found him an earlier test from April 

Both my son and and I paid for apps to auto book a test sooner £60 and £18, both failed to find anything

My son also bought an app £9 that alerted him to test but did not book. 

You have to be extremely quick but my son booked one on Christmas Eve 4 months sooner 

How do you read the new rules ? 

This is a DVSA release about the changes, tightening up the rules for use of the driving instructor service is one of the seven changes, but nowhere does it say that individuals will no longer be able to self book. In fact the intent is to reduce exploitation of this instructor system by non instructors, which is blocking genuine bookings. Similar to the attempts to block ticket scalping.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dvsa-sets-out-plan-to-reduce-driving-test-waiting-times

MikeJXE

So this is incorrect then because it doesn’t say individuals can also use the service ?

Who is allowed to use the service

We restrict who can access this service to authorised users. To apply to become an authorised user, you must be one of the following:

• an approved driving instructor (ADI)
• a motorcycle approved training body (ATB)
• a vocational driving instructor (someone who trains lorry, bus or coach drivers)
• a business that provides learner driver services and employs ADIs to provide driving tuition

HHarry

MikeJXE said:

So this is incorrect then because it doesn’t say individuals can also use the service ?

Who is allowed to use the service

We restrict who can access this service to authorised users. To apply to become an authorised user, you must be one of the following:

• an approved driving instructor (ADI)
• a motorcycle approved training body (ATB)
• a vocational driving instructor (someone who trains lorry, bus or coach drivers)
• a business that provides learner driver services and employs ADIs to provide driving tuition

No it’s correct.  Individuals can’t use that service, because that is for Business users.

Individuals can use this service, of which there is no mention that it will be unavailable after the 6th Jan.

https://www.gov.uk/book-driving-test