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<p>The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is aware that some companies have
been using bots or third-party applications to snap up appointments on its public
booking service, as soon as they become available, leaving fewer test appointments
for genuine learner drivers to purchase directly from the DVSA.</p><p>These apps or
bots are not approved by the DVSA.</p><p>In January this year, the DVSA changed the
terms and conditions for using the booking service to help prevent anyone from selling
tests at profit. Since then, the DVSA has issued 192 warnings, 532 suspensions, and
closed 438 businesses for misuse of its booking service.</p><p>To ensure its booking
system is used correctly, the DVSA has also:</p><ul><li>stopped accepting new automatic
online registrations to use its tests booking service.</li><li>stopped accepting any
new registrations from companies who do not directly employ a driving instructor.</li><li>removed
registrations not linked to driving instructors.</li><li>reduced the number of times
a driving test appointment can be changed from 10 to the pre-pandemic limit of 6.</li></ul><p>Following
these changes, there has been a significant drop in traffic to these services because
the DVSA is successfully identifying and blocking apps or bots. However, these applications
are constantly evolving and changing and the DVSA’s work on this is ongoing</p>
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