Addressing Unfair Booking Practices of Practical Driving Lessons Using Bots and Additional Measures to Address Issues

13 Ms Valerie Lee asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether updates can be provided on the wait time for booking of Class 3 practical driving lessons and deterring of unfair use of bots to secure slots; (b) whether additional measures are planned to address these issues and if so, what are they; and (c) whether reissuing private driving instructor licences will be considered to improve access to lessons.

Mr K Shanmugam: The driving schools are actively hiring more driving instructors to meet the high demand for Class 3 licence lessons and to reduce wait times for lessons. The Traffic Police (TP) has allowed the driving schools to employ foreigners to alleviate the shortage of driving instructors.

The driving schools have put in place anti-bot measures. These include implementing CAPTCHA and one-time password verification. Driving schools have also implemented booking restrictions to ensure that all learners have a fair opportunity to book lessons. Learners who are caught using bots will have their user account suspended or even terminated.

TP has no plans to re-issue private driving instructor licences. TP stopped doing so in 1987 to create a more professional and standardised approach to driver education. This rationale remains valid today.