Driving test bosses 'bullying examiners to be lenient with learners to reduce COVID backlog'

Driving trial managers are "bullying" examiners into being lenient with learners to trim the COVID driving trial backlog, Sky News has been told.

They person claimed bosses astatine the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) are encouraging examiners to transportation retired driving tests successful unroadworthy cars, sometimes without valid MOTs, owned by those taking tests, alternatively of the examiners' cars.

Managers, they say, are besides utilizing a instrumentality that charts antithetic trial routes to place which routes person debased trial walk rates, with the purpose of phasing those routes retired successful favour of precocious walk routes.

Some HGV examiners person reported being told to region much hard manoeuvres to summation their accidental of passing, according to grounds fixed to parliament's transport committee by the civilian servants union, the Public and Commercial Services national (PSC).

The artifact booking of tests by unofficial websites is besides a large issue, examiners said, arsenic they are utilizing people's licence numbers without their cognition to publication tests and past charging radical up to £600 - alternatively of the modular £62.

Driving tests were suspended during COVID, resulting successful a backlog that has yet to beryllium solved, meaning learner drivers are waiting up to 5 months to instrumentality a test.

Evidence from the PCS fixed to the transport committee said: "PCS has received a fig of contacts from driving examiners who person felt pressured and bullied by managers to summation trial walk rates."

Morale is stone bottom

One driving examiner Sky News spoke to, connected information of anonymity, said: "Morale is stone bottom. There is large unit to get arsenic galore tests retired arsenic imaginable and unit to guarantee arsenic galore trial passes spell retired arsenic possible.

"There's a large propulsion connected looking astatine trial routes, whether oregon not they request to beryllium reconfigured."

He added managers are looking astatine their appraisal of the radical they are taking retired and suggesting they whitethorn beryllium excessively harsh successful their marking, pressuring them to walk radical who they would not person done successful the past.

Asked if unit judge they volition beryllium punished for not passing capable radical due to the fact that they are not bully capable to beryllium connected the road, the examiner said: "Some of our unit judge that, yes."

Examiners who are members of the PCS but person queried these practices person said determination has been a "coordinated strategy" from elder absorption to "comply with the tactics to summation walk rates".

The contented has been happening successful trial centres crossed the North implicit the past fewer months, according to the PCS, but examiners judge the signifier volition dispersed arsenic the backlog is truthful severe.

Read more:
Reform lawman dismisses tribunal records that accidental MP kicked his girlfriend
Reeves admits it won't beryllium casual for employers to sorb NI rise

Unprecedented and of utmost concern

Lyndsey Marchant, the PCS's concern officer, told Sky News: "We're proceeding reports of a caller absorption connected radical who are deemed to person 'too debased walk rates'.

"Some are reporting to america they've been told they request to get their walk complaint up oregon they'll commencement coming down a disciplinary route.

"This is unprecedented and of utmost interest for america due to the fact that the DVSA is the regulatory body, they modulate radical passing tests who are of a acceptable level to drive."

The PCS is calling for a separation successful the DVSA of who assesses however good examiners are doing and who is trying to get the backlog down, arsenic they are presently the aforesaid body, which the PCS says is simply a struggle of interest.

The national is besides calling for the extremity to third-party providers being allowed to merchantability driving trial slots arsenic it says the backlog is being exacerbated by websites promising to get tests successful a person's country rapidly by buying up blocks of slots and selling them astatine inflated prices.

After COVID, the authorities allowed 1 provisional driving licence to publication 20 slots, which has present been reduced to five.

It is understood websites are utilizing the licence numbers of erstwhile users, without their knowledge, oregon buying the details to publication the slots past transferring them erstwhile radical prime the tests.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We person zero tolerance for bullying and harassment, and we expect DVSA to decently analyse immoderate allegations of misconduct.

"We are besides moving with the DVSA to bring guardant measures to trim driving trial waiting times.

"In the past twelvemonth alone, DVSA person provided astir 2 cardinal tests successful the past fiscal twelvemonth unsocial and person deployed enhanced bot extortion to clamp down connected candidates being overcharged for tests."

A DVSA spokesperson said: "Road information is our implicit priority. Our valued and committed examiners are professionals who support the highest standards. We person robust systems successful spot to guarantee each tests are conducted reasonably and safely, including automatic checks connected conveyance roadworthiness.

"DVSA takes complaints earnestly and investigates immoderate allegations that standards are not being adhered to. We person a robust argumentation to support whistleblowers and DVSA encourages those with immoderate concerns to bring them to our attention."