Call for urgent review after driving test refused

An MP has written to the Transport Secretary and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) after a learner driver was turned away on the day of his test because the examiner said his face did not match the photo on his provisional licence.

Yin Cheong William Shen, who was born in Hong Kong, waited eight months for a driving test near his home in Basingstoke, Hampshire, before being prevented from taking it.

The agency has upheld the decision and refused to give a refund.

The Labour MP for Basingstoke, Luke Murphy, called for an "urgent review", and said the incident raised concerns around potential unconscious bias.

Shen said the examiner's refusal left him perplexed.

"He said: 'Your face does not match my ID.' After that he decided that my test has been terminated and walked away."

"I feel confused. I've been using my ID with no issues before in the past, especially for my theory test.

"It's the same photo as my passport, which caused no issues when I travelled this year."

His instructor Stephen Lambert said the examiner's decision in November was an "insult".

"I said to the examiner: 'No, these are his eyes, his ears, his mouth. It looks like him to me.'"

In his letter to Secretary of State Heidi Alexander, Murphy said while his constituent "emphasised that he does not allege intentional discrimination", research showed facial recognition errors "can disproportionally affect individuals from certain ethnic backgrounds".

He said Shen now faced a delay of about six months before the next test, "causing considerable practical and financial hardship".

The MP said the incident reflected "wider public concern about the consistency and fairness of identity checks at test centres".

He also asked the DVSA to conduct a full review of the decision made on the day and its handling of the complaint, and said Shen should be offered a free rescheduled test as soon as possible.

The DVSA previously said it had investigated the incident and would not offer a refund or a free retest.

In a letter to Shen, it wrote: "The law requires that a test candidate must produce suitable identification to the examiner at the start of the test.

"The examiner must refuse the test if they are not completely satisfied with the identification provided."

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