The DSA do it again....

[Gopher]

From the MCN website.

£800,000 of riders’ cash to be pocketed by Government

By Steve Farrell

24 September 2008 17:22

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.”

Hmmm... I knew the government was getting desperate for cash, but robbing people...things never change!

[Jman]

Well, I'm impressed that at least they are up front about it. Usually, governments lie about it first. Sorry to hear about it. I guess the grass is brown on all sides of the fence. I wish governments weren't so corrupt.

[fast blue one]

Has there been any independent verificationof this story? I've lost count of the amount of stories that MCN run that turn out to be yet another L O B.

The previous week there was an article explaining that the extra £20 was being put aside until the admin side had been sorted out.
That article can not now be found.

[Gopher]

Originally Posted by fast blue one

I've lost count of the amount of stories that MCN run that turn out to be yet another L O B.

You know... I was kinda thinking that....but given the dsa's **** ups with the new test.. this one just seemed credible!