Driving Test Touts Offer Instructors £250 Kickbacks for Login Details, BBC Finds

Shiva K Dhakal
National Press Corporation(NPC)
United Kingdom—A BBC investigation has uncovered a widespread black-market operation in which driving instructors across Great Britain are being offered monthly kickbacks of up to £250 in exchange for their official DVSA test-booking login details. Touts then use these credentials to bulk-book driving tests and resell them to learners at heavily inflated prices — sometimes reaching £500 for a test that should cost no more than £75.

The illegal trade is deepening the nationwide shortage of driving test slots and worsening already severe waiting times. DVSA figures show 642,000 learners were waiting for a test at the end of October, with delays averaging 21 weeks. Some candidates told the BBC they had waited up to six months before turning to touts out of desperation.

Internal documents seen by the BBC reveal that DVSA chief Loveday Ryder was informed about the practice in February, yet several individuals reported earlier this year are still operating. The DVSA said it does not comment on specific cases but insists it has “zero tolerance” for those exploiting learners.

A covert network stretching across major cities

BBC journalists, posing as instructors, contacted multiple resellers in London, Birmingham, Manchester and the Home Counties. Touts immediately offered monthly payments in exchange for access to the DVSA’s Online Business Service (OBS), the secure platform used by instructors to book tests.

One tout claimed to work with more than 1,000 instructors, while another — Ans Ahmed,( Name Changed) known online as “Ahadeen” — said he recruits two new instructors every week. Although these claims cannot be independently verified, analysis of thousands of advertised slots suggests that hundreds of instructors may be involved.He denied any involvement when confronted, despite evidence linking him to accounts and bank transactions.

How the scam works

Once a tout has an instructor’s login, they use learner licence details to mass-book tests and then resell them for between £222 and £242, with some stretching to £500. The practice may breach DVSA rules and data protection laws.

Instructors told the BBC they were offered cash for their logins, while others were promised more than £500 a month if they referred colleagues. A tout based in the West Midlands, “George,”( Name Changed) told an undercover reporter he used automated software to secure slots at high speed.

Learners caught in the middle

Parents and learners say they feel trapped by the shortage. Hertfordshire resident saint (Name changed), whose children have tried unsuccessfully for two years to book tests, said: “These people are taking advantage of kids.”

Government response

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has announced reforms to curb test-slot touting. From spring, only learners—not instructors—will be permitted to book tests. Many instructors welcome the move but warn that stronger enforcement is needed to tackle rogue instructors fueling the black-market trade.

The DVSA admits test reselling has been a long-standing issue, but instructors say it has now reached unprecedented levels.

Source: bbc.com