Lockdown 2: What it means for driving lessons/tests

4th November 2020

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lockdown 2

The DVSA has recently announced that due to the 2nd national lockdown in England ‘Driver and rider training and tests will be suspended in England from 5th November 2020 until 2nd December 2020.’ This also means that Pass N Go will be closing all phone lines & operations from 5th November 2020 until 2nd December 2020 as we keep in line with the government guidelines.

We understand that this is a very frustrating time for all our students and instructors, and we are working extremely hard to ensure this situation isn’t too impactful for lessons and tests. We’ve put together some FAQ’s below to give you answers to some of the most likely questions:

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Booking Lessons During Lockdown

Can I still book lessons with Pass N Go for after the 2nd December?

Yes. Our unique online booking site will still be running, allowing you to book lessons after 2nd December. We first need to evaluate the impact the lockdown will have on December’s lessons so if you’re currently with an instructor, they will be in contact with you within the next two weeks to start arranging your lessons. If you see any availability on our website before 2nd December, please do not book it as the lessons will not take place during lockdown.

I already have lessons booked during lockdown, what should I do?

You should log into you Pass N Go online account and cancel any lessons that you may currently have booked in during the lockdown period only. This is to ensure you aren’t charged for these lessons. So, this is any lessons on or after Thursday 5th November to the end of Wednesday 2nd December. Your instructor should be in contact with you within the next 2 weeks to get your lessons arranged for after the lockdown is lifted.

Activities You Can Do During Lockdown

Theory Tests

  • If you need to pass your theory test, then buy one using your Pass N Go online account. Our test booking team is working throughout lockdown to secure tests for you.
  • If you’ve already bought a theory test then ensure you have uploaded your licence details, full name and D.O.B onto your profile in your Pass N Go online account and request us to book your test for you.

Theory Revision

Practical Driving Tests

  • If your practical driving test is not booked yet, then buy one using your Pass N Go online account. Our test booking team is working throughout lockdown to secure tests for you.
  • If you’ve already bought a practical driving test then please ensure you have uploaded your licence details, full name and D.O.B onto your profile in your Pass N Go online account and request us to book your test for you.

Instructor Allocation

I was waiting to be allocated an instructor, what happens with this now?

Due to the sudden and severe impact of test cancellations during the lockdown period, this will have a knock-on effect to driving lessons. Pass N Go will first be prioritising students that have tests booked for December, January, and February. If you do not currently have a test booked but are needing to be allocated to an instructor, once all students with tests booked are covered and the students that had tests in November are covered then we will assign you to a driving instructor. Please note we cannot give a timeframe when this will occur as we need to evaluate the full impact to driving lesson availability after the 2nd lockdown. Rest assured we are working extremely hard to ensure all students are allocated to instructors as soon as possible.

Theory Test Queries

I have a theory test booked during lockdown, has this been cancelled?

The DVSA has announced that all theory tests on 5th November and up to 2nd December 2020 will be suspended. You are required to reschedule your theory test by logging in to https://www.gov.uk/change-theory-test.

Please note you must reschedule your theory test within the next 28 days directly with the DVSA. IMPORTANT – DO NOT CANCEL YOUR THEORY TEST, JUST RESCHEDULE IT – Due to the situation and the possibility of hundreds of bulk test refunds from the DVSA, Pass N Go would not be able to locate your test fee refund which will cause you to have to pay for another test. Please ensure you login and reschedule your test within the next 28 days to avoid this.

I have a theory test booked after lockdown, has this been affected?

Not at the moment, all theory tests on 2nd December onwards are still booked as normal.

Practical Test Queries

I have a practical test booked during lockdown, has this been cancelled?

The DVSA has announced that all driving tests on 5th November up to 2nd December 2020 will be suspended. So, if your test is within this date range then it will be cancelled by the DVSA. If your test is on the 2nd December, then currently it will still go ahead (although we need to evaluate if you can go for the test without recent prior training). This situation is currently in the hands of the DVSA and we don’t know more information, we don’t know when your new test will be, once we have an update on the booking process of your new practical test, we’ll let you know.

I have a practical test booked after lockdown, has this been affected?

If you have a driving test booked within 7 days of the 2nd December 2020, we may be forced to reschedule your test to ensure all lessons can be done prior to your test date. We’ll be looking into each test booking individually and will contact you within the next 7-10 days to let you know what we’ll need to do in relation to your test date. If your practical test is booked for after 9th December 2020, this should remain unaffected, however, if there is any change to this, we’ll let you know asap.

Special Circumstances

I am a key worker; can I still do lessons and my test?

No, the DVSA has not announced any special provisions for those that are classed as key workers and as such lessons and tests cannot be completed during lockdown.

Regional Variations

What about lessons in Scotland?

Even though Pass N Go does not currently cover Scotland, the current national lockdown is for England only, meaning driving lessons will remain unaffected in Scotland.

What about driving lessons in Wales?

Driving lessons & driving tests are currently planned to restart in Wales from 9th November.

Contacting Pass N Go

Will I be able to contact Pass N Go during the lockdown?

Whilst our office and phone lines will be closed, you can still email us at hello@passngo.net. Please note due to the office being closed and our call centre staff being furloughed our normal response times will be severely reduced and it could take up to 14 days for an email response.

Final Message

The above should answer most of your queries regarding the situation. We understand this is a frustrating time and the lockdown causes havoc for us as a driving school trying to ensure we balance driving lessons and tests in a way that everyone is booked in, happy, and tests are covered for our students too. We’ll be reviewing the situation with the lesson and test availability as we go through the lockdown period.

We also understand learning to drive and passing your test can be highly rewarding and allow you to achieve new things and overcome various challenges in life, and whilst this is not a great time, rest assured we’ll be working hard for you; from our management, to our office team, to our driving instructors, we’ll all be striving to get you qualified as soon as we can.

Mental Health Support

If anybody is feeling they’re struggling with any mental health issues due to the effect of their lessons being stopped, their test cancelled or any other reasons, you can access support in various places, we’ve listed a few of these below for you:

Stay Connected

For more info regarding lessons & other queries, we’ll be keeping everyone informed through our social media pages and blog posts. Links to our social pages can be found below:

From all the team here at Pass N Go, we thank you for the patience, understanding and support you have shown us to date and we look forward to being able to train you again and helping you pass your theory, driving and trailer tests soon.

We hope you and your families stay safe and well during this time.

The Pass N Go Team