DSA sued over cancelled test
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by Kathy Watson • A disgruntled trainee driver is suing the Driving Standards Agency for failing to reimburse his costs after it cancelled his test.
Ian Pickford of Hinckley, Leics is applying for a County Court summons claiming compensation of £110 including the £10 summons fee.
Pickford's case is being backed by his driving school, Road Train.
Pickford, who wants to set up his own business, applied for a retest after failing the first time. He paid £100 to Road Train for the use of their truck and an instructor. But when they arrived at the Weedon test centre on 20 February they were told that a DSA examiner was not available: "I applied for a refund from the DSA," he says, "but was told I would probably only get £45."
The DSA says the standard reimbursement in these situations is one and a half hours, the length of the test. "We know from our records that Road Train charges £30 per hour and we normally only pay the cost of the tuition," it says. "But we have not finalised how much money the candidate will get and are awaiting more details from him."
For Road Train, Nick Smith says the £100 fee has stood for eight years. "We do not consider the price unreasonable," he adds. "It includes cleaning the vehicle, sup plying an instructor and travelling to and from the test centre well in advance of the time of the test which lasts for an hour and a half."