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Vosa to shut three test stations by summer
Page 7
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VOSA IS TO SHED three test stations by the summer with 10 test lane closures set to follow, as it looks to shift tests to Authorised Testing Facilities (ATFs).
In line with the Department for Transport calling for 85% of tests to be delivered at ATFs by 2013,Vosa has said the first three stations to close are Bredbury, Stockport: Steeton, Bradford; and Par (St Austell), Cornwall.
ATFs will be run by dealers, operators and maintenance providers, but testing itself will continue to be run exclusively by Vosa staff.
The enforcement body says the modernisation of testing will provide business opportunities for operators and offer more flexibility for customers Following the first three closures, staff will transfer to alternative sites. Primarily, these will he Chadderton for Bredbury, Leeds for Steeton and Plymouth or Redruth for St Austell.
A Vosa spokeswoman adds: "In the coming year we arc planning to decommission one lane at stations where overcapacity has been identified."