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Government pocket £800,000 of bikers cash
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 12:24 am
by BikerGran
Over £800,000 of riders’ cash will be pocketed by the Government in the ongoing motorcycle test shake-up fiasco.
Learners who paid £20 extra for the new motorcycle test will not be refunded even though they will be offered the cheaper old-style test instead.
Around 10,000 riders who booked the new test will be offered the old one after the changeover was postponed six months. Each paid the £80 price for the new test instead of the £60 fee for the old one. But instead of handing back the difference, the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has announced the money will be kept.
The original start date for the new higher-priced test was September 29. A failure to get enough test centres ready led to it being posponed to March 30 – but not the new charge.
The DSA says over 38,000 tests were booked during the same six-month period in 2007 to 2008. The Motorcycle Industry Association says even more bookings are expected in 2008 to 2009 following a surge in new bike sales driven by high fuel prices.
It could bring the total overcharges to over £800,000.
The DSA has claimed the extra money will cover the growing cost of providing the old-style test but Shadow Transport Minister Robert Goodwill said it was “obviously designed to cover the additional costs of the new test, not the existing one”.
He added: “This is outrageous. I don’t think Dick Turpin would have got away with it. I know the Government are hard up at the moment but I think they should press a £20 note into everybody’s hand as they go to take the test.”
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 12:12 pm
by Gio
Proves what I said DSA- Department for Stupid Arseholes.
Maybe they'll use it towards their index linked pensions.
Just a thought, but if people paid for their tests with a credit card then they could report it as fraud.
In fact why not call it fraud and tell plod.
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 3:31 pm
by D-Rider
Yeah - saw this in MCN (last week or the week before - can't remember).
Once I calmed down a bit I wasn't so concerned.
Yes, it would have been nice if they'd repaid the £20 but there again the situation is better for the test takers than it was going to be.
They put the test fee up to coincide with the introduction of the new test - the one with the "stunt elements" and 5,000 mile ride to the tiny number of special test centres.
Bikers and the bike training industry campaigned for the introduction of the new tests to be postponed and, for once we got what we asked for. The introduction of the test was delayed.
OK the introduction of the fee wasn't. Now I guess it's an arguable point as to whether the increase is just because they have introduced a higher fee from a certain date or whether it is specifically linked to the new test (and the cheaper fee to the old test).
Seems to me that had we not succeeded in delaying the new test, people would have paid the higher fee and had to ride miles to do a more complicated test. The situation now is that people will pay that same fee to take their test at a more convenient location under the old, less complicated, rules. In fact more people are actually able to book a test now as the availability of test slots has been restored.
The outcome is the same - you pass (or fail) a test and get your license.
Seems a bit churlish to feel too aggrieved that you have to pay what you expected to pay but have a simpler test and an easier journey to take it.
.... but what does annoy me (with my kids learning to drive and ride at the moment) is that they have to take separate theory tests for car and bike - I can't see why one test can't cover both - and why you pay more for a bike test than a car test .....
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 5:53 pm
by BikerGran
MAG says
29-09-2008
Ministers urged to stop bike test rip-off
MAG today called on the Department for Transport to prevent 40,000 new riders from being ripped-off by unjustified increases to test fees.
In February of this year, Parliament agreed a 33% increase in the cost of a bike test to cover the costs of a new, longer test from 29 September 2008. Despite not implementing the test as planned, the cost of a motorcycle rider test has increased from £60 to £80.
Parliament was specifically told that half of the test fee increase relates directly to the introduction of a longer, more demanding test. The regulation itself carries an explanatory note which is equally clear that the purpose behind raising the fees relates to special manoeuvres required to be undertaken off-road on a special testing ground.
With just two weeks to go and most of the required number of new test grounds not yet built, DSA finally admitted it had been forced to delay the new test. In a letter to the nation’s rider training schools on 12 September DSA said that test booking arrangements would continue as before. Some trainers have been shocked to find that they have booked the old style test in good faith but are now facing bills based on the delayed new test at a much higher cost.
MAG has urgently contacted the government asking them to take swift action to prevent a wide-spread rip-off. More than 40,000 new riders can be expected to apply for a test over the next six-months, taking the existing test but paying for the longer test.
David Short, MAG Campaigns Manager said “the government must act honourably in this, the test fees must be reduced and refunds made immediately. The new test itself has been delayed, it is neither justified nor in the spirit in which the legislation was laid before Parliament for the test fees to be increased.”
MAG members who own or work for rider training schools have warned of financial hardship suffered through the way the changes have been implemented hitherto. They fear the disruption they have suffered preparing for the now-delayed test and the increased cost of tests will damage the businesses they rely on.
“DSA have confirmed the cost of the new test centres are being built with cash from the sale of high-street test-centres backed by DfT loans and DSA reserves. The substantial increase in test fees at this time simply adds insult to injury.” Said David Short.
The Motorcycle Action Group represents the UK's one-and-a-half million motorcyclists. Many members have raised grave concerns over the whole £60 million Multi Purpose Test Centre strategy DSA claims the new test requires. All EU member states must comply with the new test requirements but have not opted for the same solution as Britain.
Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 6:07 pm
by snapdragon
I'd like to know if the trading standards department would disagree with that - order and pay for goods/services to a certain value and be given a substandard item - trading standards law says they either come up with the goods at the price agreed or they reduce the price of the alternative offered commensurate with the value of said goods/services
surely
Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 9:34 pm
by BikerGran
Government departments are exempt from most rules made by the government.............
Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 10:52 pm
by D-Rider
snapdragon wrote:I'd like to know if the trading standards department would disagree with that - order and pay for goods/services to a certain value and be given a substandard item - trading standards law says they either come up with the goods at the price agreed or they reduce the price of the alternative offered commensurate with the value of said goods/services
surely
Well yes - but what are the "goods"?
If the goods are a test that will, to the satisfaction of the authorities, assess your ability to ride a bike, then they have delivered the goods.
If, on the other hand, the "goods" are to give you have a more involved test that will still, to the satisfaction of the authorities, assess your ability to ride a bike and (for most people) a far longer and hazardous journey to take the test, then they have not ..... but then, if they fail to deliver this, who in their right mind would complain?
Yes I agree it would be great if they refunded the £20s but I can't see that it's worth making that big a fuss about compared to the many other things we could consider.