A body representing vehicle hire firms has claimed that upcoming changes to the UK driving licence will leave customers facing increased costs and lengthy queues when collecting a rental vehicle.
The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) says Government plans to abolish the paper counterpart to the photocard driving licence, which come into force on 1 January, have been rushed through and have not allowed for adequate time to develop an affordable and workable system of conducting checks on drivers. With around 10 million vehicle rental transactions taking place annually in the UK, the BVRLA says removing the ability of hire companies to quickly and efficiently check driver endorsement and qualification information could see insurance nullified, and potentially see unlicenced drivers gaining access to rental vehicles. If rental companies are forced into contacting the Driver and Vehicle Licence Agency (DVLA) to verify details, the BVRLA fears the cost of calling the agency’s premium rate hotline will be passed onto customers.
BVRLA Chief Executive Gerry Keaney said: “Our industry handles more than 10 million vehicle rentals each year and provides a swift and professional service to customers at some of the busiest transport hubs around the UK. Rushing the abolition of the paper counterpart before the DVLA is ready with a real-time driver checking service is going to cause huge disruption and may result in customers having to pay to have their own driving licence details verified. We applaud the government's attempts to reduce red tape and bureaucracy, but this piece of poorly-timed political point scoring could cause chaos for our industry and its customers during this busy festive season."
We spoke directly with a DVLA spokesman, who had this to say: “We want to make it as easy as possible for motorists and businesses to access government services. Getting rid of needles bits of paper and making changes to free up drivers' time is all part of our commitment to to get rid of unnecessary red tape. We have already launched a free online service where drivers can check their own licence details.
“As BVRLA is aware, timescales for implementation are under discussion, but we can confirm that no changes will come into effect over the busy festive season."
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