What's been happening between January to July at A-Class Driving School

Not enough driving tests available

It's been a very difficult six months for everyone with an L plate on their vehicle.  The backlog created by COVID is still crippling the driving tuition industry in the UK and there doesn't seem to be any glimmer of improvement on the horizon. The 7 point plan laid out by our new government seems to have somehow worsened things with new record numbers waiting and queuing up each morning in search of a exam.  The test swapping apps, our only life line for getting those ready for an exam a test, no longer seem to be working.  What do we do?  Answers on a post card please as I'm all out of ideas.

Test Shift

In February, a new test swapping app came along, Test Shift.  And this quickly became my go to app for help.  Eight students managed to get exams for Avonmouth test centre all within a few weeks of one another and all of them became licence holders.  Since then, nada.  Apparently Test-i is somehow still functioning, and able to get ahead of the 26,000+ people who are currently waiting by their PCs each morning to access tests.  How they snap them up and move around people around before the general public can even load the DVSAs calendar page is a mystery.

Here's a few of our success stories from the past six months.

Phu

She passed first time with just 3 minors in late February, the first test I was able to book all year, and nailed it.  Here's what she said about our time together.

"I passed first time today with Will as my instructor. He is really amazing, calm, and he had so much patience whenever I made mistakes. Without him, I couldn't make it today. Thank you very much Will! Once I get my car, I will definitely come back to learn motorway lesson with him. I will recommend Will to all my friends."



Issy Rose

Another 3 minor, first time passer.  This one in March.  Here's her review.

"Will was amazing! Thorough lessons with amazing advice all along the way."

Alice Tegg

Alice managed to pass her test with ZERO minors!  Pretty impressive. 

"Thanks so much to Will, I passed today with no faults! I never thought I’d be a confident driver but Will’s teaching has made me feel so calm on the road and I’m actually excited about driving now. Highly recommend!"

Rachel Fenwick

This review came in for me back in April from the delightful Rachel Fenwick, who between having a child, whilst raising another and working full time as a teacher and commuting to work in Portishead by bike managed to learn to drive too! What a legend.

Here's the review in full!

"I had a really good experience learning to drive with Wil at A-class driving. I’d tried to learn to drive in the past, but I’d always felt nervous and unsure. Wil put me at ease, and although it was a long journey for me Wil was supportive and reassuring along the way. His knowledge of the roads, his clear explanations, often with visual guides, were very helpful. I have passed and now feel like a confident driver- honestly something I never thought would happen."