Unfair access to driving lesson slots from bot usage and third-party services and consideration for centralised booking system

Question:

Mr Gabriel Lam: To ask the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Government has data on (i) how widespread the use of bots or third-party services is in securing driving lesson slots and (ii) how such practices affect fair access for learners; and (b) whether a centralised or queue-based booking system is being considered.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs:

1. The Traffic Police (TP) does not have data on the prevalence of the use of bots or third-party services to secure driving lesson slots.

2. Nevertheless, we have taken action. The three driving schools suspended close to 13,400 accounts suspected of bot activity in 2025. TP has directed the schools to also implement anti-bot measures such as CAPTCHA authentication, and account restrictions wh en they detect suspicious logins.

3. There are no plans to implement a centralised booking system. It is more appropriate, expedient and practical for the driving schools to design and manage their respective booking systems, because they all have different commercial and operating models.

4. The current wait times reflect fundamentally a mismatch between the supply and demand for Class 3 lessons. The Ministry of Home Affairs and TP are studying additional supply measures to improve the situation.