DSA and VOSA set to merge to form single agency

Date: 20/6/2013

Roads Minister Stephen Hammond has revealed that the (DSA) Driving Standards Agency and (VOSA) Vehicle Operator Services Agency are set to be united as a single body in a bid to provide convenient, cost-effective motoring services.

Announcing the changes today (June 20th), the Minister said that the move will enable specific standards to be set in areas such as driving tests and vehicle trials, with the measures designed to simplify processes for independent motorists and businesses.

"We need to make sure that we continue to keep pace with customers’ needs and deliver services in a way which is both convenient and cost effective," Mr Hammond explained.

"By bringing testing and standards services into a single organisation we will make life easier for customers and potentially reduce the fees we charge."

According to the Minister, the new body will be able to show greater flexibility and adapt to meet people's needs, with work currently being undertaken to determine the structure of the organisation when it becomes operational in 2014.

VOSA Chief Executive Alastair Peoples is set to lead a transitional board while the changes take place, and Mr Hammond added that the (DfT) Department for Transport will collaborate with workers in the DSA and VOSA to ensure the process runs as smoothly as possible.

The move follows a consultation on motoring services that ran between December 2012 and March 2013, with the project proposing the possibility of merging the two existing bodies to provide a more rationalised service.

The results showed that customers largely supported the idea, but emphasised the importance of ensuring standards do not suffer as a result of trying to save money through combining the DSA and VOSA.   

Indeed, the DfT says that "customers should be reassured "that the same high quality service delivery will continue" as it prepares to make the changes.

Posted by Sarah Bailey

Transport Research News and Vehicle Safety News