Latest news with #drivinglicences
South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- Automotive
- South China Morning Post
Hongkongers use driving schools over border to get cheap licences illegally
Mainland Chinese middlemen are offering Hongkongers driving lessons and tests at nearly half the price of city rates and showing them how to convert permits into local licences, a practice that authorities have deemed illegal. Checks by the Post on popular mainland social media platform RedNote have found that a driving school in Shenzhen is offering tailor-made packages for Hong Kong residents, including ways to circumvent legal requirements. It charges 6,800 yuan (HK$7,422) for a driving course to obtain a licence in Shenzhen, including five test retakes within three years. In Hong Kong, it costs learner drivers at least HK$15,000 for lessons and other fees before taking the test. The process is also much faster in Shenzhen, where a licence can be attained within three months, compared with at least a year in Hong Kong, assuming a learner passes written and road tests. 'We will lend you our employees' addresses. They are real and reliable,' an agent with the driving school told a Post reporter pretending to be a potential customer. 'More than 1,000 Hongkongers have successfully used our service to obtain mainland driving licences and get them converted in Hong Kong in the past two years.
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Some NI driving licences revoked in fraud probe
Northern Ireland's infrastructure minister has said she is "extremely concerned" by claims that driving licences were fraudulently issued to people who have not passed their Kimmins was speaking at Stormont after police confirmed they were investigating the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it was "working closely" with the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) on the matter.A spokeswoman for the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) said: "As this matter is subject to a PSNI investigation we cannot comment at this time." The PSNI said a number of alleged fraud offences in relation to the issuing of driving licences were being investigated. "We are working closely with officials from DVA and as the investigation is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time," a PSNI spokeswoman claims were first reported in the Sunday World newspaper at the reported allegations that licences were issued to drivers who had not taken their driving test in exchange for at Stormont on Tuesday, Kimmins did not provide further details on the extent of the alleged fraud."There is a legal investigation. I think it would be remiss of me to comment on that, to allow that process to take its course," she said."But obviously I'm extremely concerned to learn about that and I hope that we see a conclusion to that very quickly." Driving licences revoked Deborah Erskine, chair of the Stormont assembly's infrastructure committee, said the "implications for road safety are huge"."Effectively that means that, right now in Northern Ireland, there are potentially people who are driving with a licence without having sat their test," she told the assembly on Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) assembly member said the DVA has sent letters to people "revoking" their licences in recent weeks."The people to whom those letters were sent may not have been involved in any fraudulent activity but may have been caught up in this farce due to the fact that they sat their test within a certain timescale or with a certain examiner or examiners," she told assembly said it was "important that assurances are given immediately to the assembly and to the public on how it is being handled". School bus safety The infrastructure minister was speaking at Stormont on Tuesday as she launched a new road safety campaign on the dangers of overtaking school comes after an 11-year-old girl died in March after being hit by a car when exiting a school bus in Castledawson, County have since been fresh calls for new laws to improve school bus safety. Kimmins said she had asked her officials to look at "options" for legislation but it would "take time" to consider. Community transport funding Kimmins also announced she intends to increase funding to protect community transport described the services as a "vital lifeline" for older people, those with mobility issues and in rural areas."It's something that I really wanted to ensure that we can deliver on," she added.
