An investigation by the BBC has revealed that driving instructors are being enticed with monthly payments of up to £250 to sell their official test-booking login details to touts. These touts utilize the login information to secure driving test appointments in bulk, which they subsequently sell through platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook at inflated prices of up to £500, far exceeding the standard fee of £75. This practice complicates legitimate test booking efforts and worsens the already extensive waiting periods for learners.
The investigation also revealed that the former chief of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Loveday Ryder, was informed about these touting operations in February. However, some touts remain operational despite being reported. Although the DVSA did not address specific complaints, it reaffirmed its zero-tolerance stance against the exploitation of learner drivers. Touts have been found active in locations including London, Birmingham, Manchester, and the Home Counties.
Operating undercover, BBC reporters communicated with touts while posing as driving instructors and were offered consistent monthly payments in exchange for their login details to the DVSA's system, used for booking tests. One tout claimed to collaborate with over 1,000 instructors, whereas another, Anil Ahmed, known by the alias 'Ahadeen,' purportedly recruits two instructors weekly. Although these claims remain unverified independently, the BBC encountered ample evidence implicating Ahmed.
While the BBC could not pinpoint specific instructors involved, the volume of tests sold, along with images of booking systems shared online, implies potential involvement from hundreds of instructors. Discussions with 30 instructors across England, Scotland, and Wales confirmed awareness of these sales, and some had also been approached directly by touts. As per DVSA data at the end of October, 642,000 learners in Great Britain await driving tests with an average wait time of 21 weeks. Northern Ireland follows a different system, and waits could stretch to six months as reported by learners, some of whom resort to touts out of desperation. A DVSA survey indicated that approximately one in three learners had engaged third parties for test bookings.
In response, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander introduced forthcoming rule changes to curb touting activities and clear the test backlog. By spring, only learners—not instructors—will be eligible to book test slots. Instructors welcomed the Department for Transport's efforts but have urged the government to identify and address rogue practitioners.
Test bulk bookings and resale have persisted profitably for years, but instructors asserted that the situation has significantly worsened. BBC investigations, initially prompted by a West Yorkshire instructor's email, uncovered numerous Facebook groups, Snapchat accounts, and WhatsApp communities actively posting available test slots.