Enhanced Rider Scheme re-launch update from the DVSA

DVSA Enhanced Rider Scheme (Q&A for ERS Instructors)
Asked by: Jez Tromans, Member Services Manager, VideoBiker
Answered by Chris Parr, Assistant Chief Driving Examiner (DVSA)

Question: Chris – just bringing things to a close, you’ve shared some numbers and how things are growing and we’ve reported back on the significantly positive feedback from instructors around the UK. Can we ask you to share your thoughts about how the ERS re-launch has gone + how it’s been more broadly received by the industry. It would also be good to know where you plan on taking ERS over the coming months and perhaps what you would measure as being a successful outcome for the new DVSA Enhanced Rider Scheme.

Answer: Thanks for the positive comments. I’m really pleased with the way the initial launch of ERS has gone. I’m pleased with the branding and like the association with the crown logo and the association with the DVSA ourselves. What I want to do next is work closely with the industry. You’re the experts and delivering this day-in and day-out. How can we make ERS even better? There is still a lot of work to do on the individual modules and still work to do on such things as the blood bikers, riding abroad, basic machine maintenance and things like that. What I would like to do is have a library or a syllabus, hopefully hosted on the DVSA Safe Driving For Life website, where people can dip-in and out, share ideas around plus best practices and the best way of delivering these modules. So what I’m going to do is set-up a small stake holder group or working group to get together some ideas and then those ideas I would like to share with the wider arena of ATB’s delivering ERS. Si I’m really keen on your thoughts and really keen to hear about your ideas and really keen to work with the industry to continue promoting ERS, but also to make it an even better product.

In summary, here is the challenge for the industry – we do about 50,000 bike tests per year and you are the ones that have trained all of these candidates to some and do their DAS test – so, do you think we could get 5% of those on ERS – that’s 2,500 candidates. I think that would be a really strong position for us, especially in this first year following relaunch. Something for us to benchmark on and then improve upon in the following year. Like I say, this is a joint venture between the DVSA and the instructor industry. The DVSA can’t do everything – we will continue to promote ERS, but you are the ones who are training these individuals. Together we can enhance the numbers, but I think we can improve the product and I think we should be pushing for 5% and more over the coming years. It’s going to make the riders better, safer and it’s going to help people to enjoy their riding more.

In addition to that, since the relaunch we’ve had some really positive feedback from the industry. New applications are extremely strong and I’d like to get to a point where every ATB in the country can offer ERS training, so they have at least one instructor within each ATB delivering this product.