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. These apps or bots are not approved by the DVSA. 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. To ensure its booking system is used correctly, the DVSA has also: stopped accepting new automatic online registrations to use its tests booking service stopped accepting any new registrations from companies who do not directly employ a driving instructor. removed registrations not linked to driving instructors. reduced the number of times a driving test appointment can be changed from 10 to the pre-pandemic limit of 6. 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. As of 13 November 2023, there were 562,296 car practical driving tests booked, and 82,836 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window. The national average waiting time for a car practical driving test in October 2023 was 18.8 weeks. The DVSA does not hold the number of driving tests that have been booked by automated bots. Since April 2021, measures put in place by the DVSA to reduce waiting times for its customers is creating on average over 42,900 extra car test slots each month. DVSA is examining additional measures to further strengthen the system.