Too many bots, too few instructors: Why there's a long wait for driving lessons in Singapore

Straits Times

26-05-2025

Beyond the bot issue, the driving schools also face a shortage of instructors, which they said has contributed to the long wait for lessons. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Too many bots, too few instructors: Why there's a long wait for driving lessons in Singapore
SINGAPORE - Ms Joylene Chen enrolled at the ComfortDelGro Driving Centre (CDC) in November 2024 , thinking that she could get her licence to drive an automatic car within six months. Seven months later, the 25-year-old is still far from her goal, but not for the lack of trying.
The finance executive has managed to book only three practical lessons so far – after paying $30 to secure them using a Telegram bot, which is programmed to track available slots in CDC's booking system.
She is not alone. Many other students have also had to resort to using automated bots, or paying someone on Carousell, a local online marketplace, to snag the lessons.
A private driving instructor who declined to be named said his students sometimes pay the Carousellers $30 to $50 per slot out of desperation. 'This is a very unhealthy practice,' he told The Straits Times.
The three driving schools here have long acknowledged the issue, and have suspended accounts found to have used bots and scripts for up to three months.
CDC said it suspended 214 errant accounts in 2024 . The Singapore Safety Driving Centre (SSDC) said it did the same but declined to reveal more data.
Bukit Batok Driving Centre (BBDC) suspended 6,000 accounts last year , and another 6,500 between 2022 and 202 3.
But despite their efforts, the bots are still here, there and everywhere.
A 20-year-old student told ST that he had hired an overseas programmer to build a bot not just to book his own slots, but also to offer it to others at a price.
'I charge between $50 and $70 , depending on how specific my customers' requests are,' he said, adding that he does not plan to stop this 'service', which allows him to make a four-figure sum a month.
According to lawyers ST spoke to , there are currently no legal penalties for bot builders and users.
Hence, the best bet for driving centres is to deter them with advanced security features. For instance, CDC said it continues to explore potential measures, including multi-factor authentication and SingPass log-in.
Tighter bot analysis criteria, such as longer IP address blocking durations, will also be implemented to reduce bot activity.
The spokesperson added that the centre plans to use advanced machine learning algorithms to detect suspicious activity and increase its frequency of system audits.
'These algorithms will help identify patterns indicative of system abuse, enabling proactive measures to mitigate potential impact.'
Mr Aaron Ang, chief information security officer of Singapore-based IT services company Wissen International, said the schools can pair Captcha with other methods, such as limiting the number of requests a computer can make within a short time or collect information about a user's web browser.
They can also use commercial services like TrustDecision and DataDome that help detect bots, he added.
Instructor shortage
Beyond the bot issue, the driving schools also face a shortage of instructors, which they said has contributed to the long wait for lessons.
A BBDC spokesperson said the school struggled to hire instructors after the Covid-19 pandemic. Many potential applicants may have preferred to be private-hire drivers or food delivery riders as these roles offer more flexible work arrangements, he said.
It is also hard to attract talent as the starting salary for driving instructors is also 'below expectations', said an SSDC instructor who declined to be named.
'Even a bus driver earns more than a driving instructor,' he said.
Checks by ST on job portals showed that a driving instructor who works for the three schools is paid between $2,070 and $4,500 a month .
A local SBS Transit bus captain also earns up to $4,500 a month , but can expect a sign-on bonus with training incentive of up to $25,000.
The schools said they have stepped up recruitment efforts, with CDC upping its number of instructors by 10 per cent between 2023 and 2024 .
In the same period, it also beefed up its other training resources by adding four additional car simulators and 20 cars to its fleet .
Comfort Driving Centre added four additional car simulators and 20 cars to its fleet to beef up training resources.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
'These enhancements have allowed us to offer over 700 additional weekly learning sessions,' its spokesperson said, adding that it plans to further expand its fleet this year.
CDC declined to comment on the number of lessons they were able to offer before the enhancements.
Besides school instructors, the number of private instructors has also been dwindling. The Traffic Police (TP) have stopped issuing new private driving instructor licences since 1987 as part of the country's vision to professionalise driver education.
As of March 14 , there are 268 licensed private driving instructors in Singapore and the number is set to decrease as they retire or cease their services.
Possible solutions
Transport specialist Terence Fan from the Singapore Management University suggested the authorities consider reinstating the issuing of private driving instructor licences to new instructors.
'This is so that students can be provided with more choices to engage a private instructor if they find it difficult to book their practical lessons at the driving schools,' said Assistant Professor Fan, who added that driving remains a necessity in countries that do not prioritise public transportation.
However, instead of reinstating the issuing of private driving instructor licences, the Traffic Police told ST that they now allow driving schools to employ foreign driving instructors for all licence classes as long as they have the necessary qualifications to cope with the instructor shortage.
They include owning a driving licence of the same licence class they intend to teach, undergoing a driving instructor course, and passing their theory and practical instructor tests.
As of May, the three driving schools have yet to employ foreigners as those who applied did not meet the minimum requirements.
The Traffic Police also aim to improve the schools' processes. For example, they worked with CDC to implement an advanced training system that uses cameras and sensors to analyse learners' driving performance in order to enhance the quality of driving instruction and improve their chances of passing a driving test.
They have also worked with the driving schools to extend the working hours of driving instructors, taking into consideration each school's operational needs and instructors' preferences.
Test delays
Besides the months-long wait for practical lessons, driving students also have to be prepared to wait another one to two months before taking their Class 3 driving tests.
According to the Traffic Police website, students who enrol in the schools have to wait for a month on average, while private candidates can expect a close to two-month wait .
To address the long waiting time for practical tests, the Traffic Police said they have increased the number of Class 3 practical test slots.
According to TP's website, marginal improvements could be seen in the waiting times for school and private learners between December 2024 and February this year.
TP said they are also working closely with driving schools to increase test slots by optimising their utilisation of the circuit and the availability of testers.
Into the future
Earlier in May, the police announced plans to build a new multi-storey driving school in Choa Chu Kang to replace the existing BBDC, which is expected to make way for new housing projects.
BBDC currently sits on a 30,000 sq m plot. If the plans for the site are approved, this will be Singapore's second multi-storey driving school, after SSDC opened the first in Woodlands in 2010.
While details about the new centre are not yet released, demand for driving lessons remains high, even if the motivation to do so differs from person to person.
For Ms Chen, she hopes to be able to run errands and chauffeur her dogs around for their activities when she eventually receives her licence.
'I can't be a passenger princess forever,' she added.
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