Selling of test dates discouraged

[MiCmAsTa]

Riding student sells test date online. Legal?

 

Posted on 05 Apr, 2008 13:16

 

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/viewContent.jsp?id=17354

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/viewContent.jsp?id=17583

 

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/photo/getFullSizePhoto.do?id=16026

 

A student of Singapore Safety Driving Centre (SSDC) is apparently trying to sell his riding test date in an online forum, and wonders if it is legal to do so.

 

"I personally feel that traffic examinations should be treated with respect. There should not be any grey areas in the procedures of the examinations," said the STOMPer in an email to STOMP yesterday (Apr 4).

 

"If it is not legal, I hope actions will be taken," he added.

 

Update:

 

In a written reply to STOMP, the SSDC representative said:

 

"We would like to stress that as far as SSDC is concerned, our customers are strongly told to refrain from selling or transferring of test dates.

 

Action would be taken by SSDC if a student was found auctioning their test date in our premises."

 

This follows a STOMPer's feedback last Saturday (Apr 5) on a riding student who was selling his Class 2A Traffic Police practical test date in an online forum.

 

Said: "There should not be grey areas in the procedures of the examinations."

[MiCmAsTa]

Driving test dates being auctioned online

Daryll Nanayakara

Fri, Apr 25, 2008

my paper

 

IT WAS an auction for an "auspicious" date on a local bike forum, sgbikes.com.

 

The starting bid was $50.

 

The item up for auction in this case wasn't your average electronic gadget or fashion accessory.

 

The sellers were auctioning off test dates for driving and riding test slots.

 

This trend of selling and buying test dates has emerged among students who were taking their driving and riding licence tests.

 

Some students who were unableto make it on the scheduled date exploited the situation and took it as an opportunity to make a quick buck.

 

Bids at such auctions went for as high as $170 for a test date. In one case, which was pointed out by a contributor on citizen media website Stomp, the bid went up to $570.

 

Typically, the sellers claimed, he reasons for wanting to give up their booked test dates were genuine - some had unexpected work commitments, national service duties, and others had to go overseas.

 

A typical scenario involved the seller and buyer meeting up at the stipulated driving centre and the seller cancelling his test date at the counter.

 

This left the slot free and the buyer then immediately booked it.

 

One such buyer, who wantedto be known only as Jian Zheng, 22, said: "The money is like a token of appreciation." He saw nothing wrong with the arrangement.

 

This arrangement netted the seller relatively good money for doing close to nothing, since the money that the seller paid for booking the test fee prior the cancellation was refunded to him in full.

 

Questions were being raised about the legality of the practice.

 

All three driving centres here that my paper contacted said that their students were not allowed to "transfer" their test dates, but they were aware of the practice.

 

When contacted, the police said they were looking into the matter.