Now I’m certainly no fan of VOSA but how in gods name can a government think that privatising an enforcement agency could be a good idea? Think they give out petty fines now? I dread to think how bad it could get.
Yep, it will be dreadful, they will be like any other private company, driven solely by a desire to make as large a profit as possible.
ye just make sure there is nothing they can get you on
No great loss,Vosa a rather quaint,technically ignorant organisation living in a yesteryear have with the introduction of Fixed Penalties crossed the Rubicon and become grubby little money collectors seemingly adhering to principles taken from the Cowboy Wheel Clampers Bible.Unfortunately Civil Servants according to Francis Maude MP are too expensive to sack or remove,one must assume the Government expects a private company to offer Vosa members employment if the organisation is privatised.Since I have just received a reply through my MP from Mike Penning MP Transport Minister I must assume he considered my opinion of Vosa.
They could be open for a few backhanders if privatized 
turn an burn:
ye just make sure there is nothing they can get you on
Trust me, one will be getting your attention while the other smashes your tail light.
wonder how many clamping firms would be tempted 
so if its a private company what power to stop you will they have?
My mate works for VOSA and he thinks it will just be the type approval part that will be privatised not the enforcement part. The type approval part is self financing as it is the manufacturers that have to pay for their services.
bristolron:
My mate works for VOSA and he thinks it will just be the type approval part that will be privatised not the enforcement part. The type approval part is self financing as it is the manufacturers that have to pay for their services.
Thats the way i understand it too. I think the testing side will be privatised also, infact i thought it was headed that way already. I think its a bit of scaremogering going on to suggest that roadside checks/enforcement will be privatised.
Fair enough then but if it pays for itself then why privatise it. Suppose that’s the done thing when you have a Tory government, privatise everything regardless.
Mike-C:
bristolron:
My mate works for VOSA and he thinks it will just be the type approval part that will be privatised not the enforcement part. The type approval part is self financing as it is the manufacturers that have to pay for their services.Thats the way i understand it too. I think the testing side will be privatised also, infact i thought it was headed that way already. I think its a bit of scaremogering going on to suggest that roadside checks/enforcement will be privatised.
When you say testing side privatised, do you mean private companies that offer servicing repairs etc having VOSA staff in their “depot” on the side doing MOT tests, that seems to be how it runs at a couple of places round here and the “operator/vosa” is charged a lane fee to go through.
Seems like the Vosa guys don’t like “private” firms booking the tests in as they want longer opening times, better through put etc all an anathema to C/S work ethic. From what i can gather they seem to knocking a few mins per test off as well to send more through 
.
speedyguy:
Mike-C:
bristolron:
My mate works for VOSA and he thinks it will just be the type approval part that will be privatised not the enforcement part. The type approval part is self financing as it is the manufacturers that have to pay for their services.Thats the way i understand it too. I think the testing side will be privatised also, infact i thought it was headed that way already. I think its a bit of scaremogering going on to suggest that roadside checks/enforcement will be privatised.
When you say testing side privatised, do you mean private companies that offer servicing repairs etc having VOSA staff in their “depot” on the side doing MOT tests, that seems to be how it runs at a couple of places round here and the “operator/vosa” is charged a lane fee to go through.
Seems like the Vosa guys don’t like “private” firms booking the tests in as they want longer opening times, better through put etc all an anathema to C/S work ethic. From what i can gather they seem to knocking a few mins per test off as well to send more through
As far as i can remember just after they invested millions in the last year or two they then announced it would be better for ‘customers’ to have vehicles tested at thier own premises, leading to less down time etc… i’m guessing they send their own staff in for now. Probably lots more but Bowmurs/Pentalvers at Cannock have a large VOSA testing unit. There’s been a few other vehicle testing regimes changed over the past few years from the public sector to the private sector as regards the annual test, i’m sure commercials will go the same way totally.
The thing i can’t get my head around is random stop checks for vehicles. If they follow their own logic they should reduce vehicle down time by doing random checks on vehicles at the operators base before it hits the road, that can only aid saftey.Mind you i can see the downside for them, no fixed penalty because the vehicle hasn’t hit the road yet. It would be safer, but wouldn’t be self or part financing.
switchlogic:
Fair enough then but if it pays for itself then why privatise it. Suppose that’s the done thing when you have a Tory government, privatise everything regardless.
I think you’ll find its the done thing no matter what government we have, they all have a common purpose.
switchlogic:
Fair enough then but if it pays for itself then why privatise it. Suppose that’s the done thing when you have a Tory government, privatise everything regardless.
So who wanted to flog the Post Office then? Who used private capital to finance public buildings (PFI) leaving the PBT (Poor Bloody Taxpayer) to pay rent for ever and a day. It’s a wonder that there is anything left to sell - Pity all that gold isn’t still sitting in the bank… It’d be worth quite a bit more now than when GB/TB gave it away.
Mike-C:
The thing i can’t get my head around is random stop checks for vehicles. If they follow their own logic they should reduce vehicle down time by doing random checks on vehicles at the operators base before it hits the road, that can only aid saftey.Mind you i can see the downside for them, no fixed penalty because the vehicle hasn’t hit the road yet. It would be safer, but wouldn’t be self or part financing.
It’s probably very racist of them but a lot of vehicles on random stop checks along trunk routes come from over the water nowadays, i can’t see VOSA or the taxpayer wearing working holidays to countries where they probably have no jurisdiction, even though i would have thought they should all be operating to a common european standard with regards to vehicle safety, etc.
I thought it’s what the British truckers were crying out for, a level playing field (and on fuel duty of course 
)
speedyguy:
Mike-C:
The thing i can’t get my head around is random stop checks for vehicles. If they follow their own logic they should reduce vehicle down time by doing random checks on vehicles at the operators base before it hits the road, that can only aid saftey.Mind you i can see the downside for them, no fixed penalty because the vehicle hasn’t hit the road yet. It would be safer, but wouldn’t be self or part financing.It’s probably very racist of them
I thought it’s what the British truckers were crying out for, a level playing field (and on fuel duty of course
Its under direction from the EU that checks are done, they are legally required to check compliance. You’ll have me off again !! Thats another beef, if they’re getting here from the continent they must have traversed loads of countries before they’re here !!
I’d be interested to hear from the guys in America, if they get random checks on the road. The Americans are very big on infringements of their right to go about their buisness, or supposed to be 
Santa:
switchlogic:
Fair enough then but if it pays for itself then why privatise it. Suppose that’s the done thing when you have a Tory government, privatise everything regardless.So who wanted to flog the Post Office then? Who used private capital to finance public buildings (PFI) leaving the PBT (Poor Bloody Taxpayer) to pay rent for ever and a day. It’s a wonder that there is anything left to sell - Pity all that gold isn’t still sitting in the bank… It’d be worth quite a bit more now than when GB/TB gave it away.
Well yes I’ll give you that, but then the Post Office couldn’t possibly get any worse if it was private, it’d have to get better. Deutsche Post being a good example of how it could’ve thrived .Selling or getting someone else to build buildings and renting them back is actually quite cost effective apparently. Many big companies do it.
All I can say is “There is a god after all”
speedyguy:
It’s probably very racist of them
You must be the only member on these forums to believe that, along with me of course
I will err on the side of the post that Mike C made. There are all ready using a similar system that could be expanded. Authorised Testing Facilities are dealers premises who have already got the facilities and trained staff. When you take your car for its annual test you dont take it to any government official. You take it a licensed MOT garage designated by a symbol with three triangles. 
Unless you operate a taxi or mini bus this is satisfactory, but council premises can test these and are licensed to test their own vehicles and private hire, even private cars can be taken to them.
The posts on here make me laugh about VOSA, they are not waiting around the back of every lampost like a 1950s policeman, yet when a foreigner squashes a family, the knives are out for instant examinations as the ferry disembarks and cries of “send them home”, let us do the traction and park them all up.
If this government can close all 97 vehicle testing stations and outsource the work to private enterprise, they only need to do random checks on the premises giving more front line staff to enforce the roads. How much money is the real estate worth? Driver Training schools can be expected to supply suitable off road facilities for the reversing exercise on a C or C+E test.
The benefit of all this is that private testing will bring competition to the market, allow for 24 hour testing and less vehicle downtime.