"The UK's Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has appointed a new chief exec to tackle spiraling waits for practical driving tests with bots overrunning its aging booking system. Beverley Warmington will join the agency on January 5. "I have every confidence she will grip the driving test backlog and robustly oversee the reforms needed to ensure learners can get on the road when they are truly ready and safe to do so," said roads and buses minister Simon Lightwood."
"Most practical driving test slots at DVSA centers are snapped up immediately after release - 24 weeks in advance. The National Audit Office (NAO) found that 198 (70 percent) of the agency's 240 permanent test centers reported a 24-week wait in September. The average wait is 22 weeks, with DVSA not expecting to meet a seven-week target until November 2027."
"Much of the demand comes from two types of paid bot services. Cancellation checkers alert candidates to newly released slots, sometimes booking on their behalf. Resellers tell candidates to book any nationwide slot, then charge them to swap it for a bot-booked test at their preferred location and date. A DVSA survey of 21,656 candidates found 31 percent of candidates used third-party resellers, with some paying up to £500 versus the £62 official weekday fee."
Beverley Warmington will join the DVSA on January 5 to tackle spiraling waits for practical driving tests caused by bots and system constraints. Most test slots are booked immediately on release, often 24 weeks in advance, and 198 of 240 permanent centres reported 24-week waits in September, with an average wait of 22 weeks. Two paid bot services — cancellation checkers and resellers — drive much of the demand, and 31% of surveyed candidates used resellers, some paying up to £500. The DVSA's almost 18-year-old booking system has significant security and operational limitations and is unstable at peak demand while protections are repeatedly overcome.
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