Peoples turns to industry for help to free up VOSA time
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VOSA CHIEF executive Alastair Peoples has turned to the industry to help free up the agency’s time so that it can focus on enforcement and licensing.
Subject to the transport minister’s approval, Peoples and the leading trade associations have agreed four areas to jointly develop over the coming year: ● Increase the percentage of new operators signing up to VOSA’s online Operator Licensing Self-Service; ● Pilot a new service so that operators can access their own test history; ● Increase the percentage of red-rated operators who have access to their own test history and Operator Compliance Risk Score (OCRS); ● Pilot the use of third-party data to improve the targeting of VOSA’s enforcement activity.
Peoples says: “Every vehicle we stop at the roadside costs [VOSA] on average £150 in terms of manpower, overheads, etc, and we’re probably only stopping 1% of the total non-compliant fleet.” Peoples has plenty of ideas, but with a 20% reduction in headcount this year, VOSA has limited resource and has challenged the trade associations to get into areas that VOSA can get out of.
John Lewis, chief executive of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association, says VOSA is using the industry to help those that want to comply, “leaving VOSA to go after those that don’t want to”.
James Hookham, MD of policy and communications at the FTA, says: “Priority is the name of the game because VOSA can’t do everything anymore; it’s just got to focus on what’s important. A number of operators still approach VOSA for training and education, but perhaps this would be best handled by a trade association?” ● See page 16 for interview.