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In his speech in Parliament on Jan. 9, Minister for Law and Home Affairs K. Shanmugam responded to queries about the use of queue-jumping bot services to secure driving simulator booking slots at driving schools posed by Radin Mas SMC MP Melvin Yong.

Learners who use such bots may have their account suspended or terminated: Shanmugam

Yong asked Shanmugam whether the Singapore Police Force (SPF) had received any reports of queue-jumping bot services being used to secure driving simulator booking slots at driving schools.

He also asked a follow-up question on how the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) intended to tackle the issue.

Shanmugam replied that the ministry was aware of the use of such bots.

He stated that the use of such bots was not allowed in driving schools, and learner drivers who are caught using such bots may have their account suspended or terminated.

Shanmugam also added that the traffic police have been working with the driving schools to prevent the use of such bots.

Measures implemented included the incorporation of anti-bot solutions into the booking platforms and limiting multiple logins in a day from a single Internet Protocol address.

Background

The issue was brought to light after The Straits Times published an article illustrating the use of queue-jumping bot services to book earlier slots for Bukit Batok Driving Center's (BBDC) driving simulator.

BBDC's three simulator are often fully booked, with the earliest available slot often months away from the date of booking.

With more and more people learning how to drive since the relaxation of the Covid-19 pandemic, the wait time is expected to increase.

Desperate learner drivers are hence willing to pay to use bot services advertised on retail site Carousell to "purchase" an earlier slot.

Top photo from MCI/Youtube