Widely predicted technical hitches have continued to dog new car-hiring arrangements the day after the paper part of the driving licence was abolished.
The new scheme means those needing to give details of their driving record in order to hire a vehicle need to access information from the website of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
But the site has frequently crashed since it was launched on Monday to the frustration of British drivers across the world. An error message appeared on the site when the Guardian tried to view driving record information on Tuesday morning.
Many drivers turned to Twitter to express their anger at the DVLA. Kirsty Dillon, from London, reported problems when she tried to hire a car in Canada’ largest city, Toronto.
@Hertz uk rules changed today, website is crashing and won't give me the code. I'm already in Canada. Can I get the car without the code?
— Kirsty Dillon (@kirstyla) June 8, 2015
She was unsure whether a code was needed, and could not get hold of it.
@DVLAgovuk where is my response? @Hertz have replied first but I'm unclear whether the code is needed. I'm already in Canada & need help.
— Kirsty Dillon (@kirstyla) June 8, 2015
Others expressed similar frustrations.
@cheapaccounting fantastic idea by @DVLAgovuk to launch this at start of holiday season...Ever queued at car hire place with exhausted kids?
— Mistress 9 danke (@catsinbelfry) June 8, 2015
@DVLAgovuk your site is down, beyond frustrating can't get hire car approved. Amateurs.
— Natalie C (@NatCook678) June 8, 2015
@DVLAgovuk I'm trying to check my driver license info on gov.uk as I need to hire a car but keep getting an internal error on website?
— _my M_ _ (@amymoowyatt) June 8, 2015
@DVLAgovuk any idea when this will be fixed please...? Trying to get a code for a foreign trip
— rich hooper-bennett (@hb3450) June 8, 2015
The AA said some of its members had had problems and they were stumped by the need to supply a national insurance number, it said.
The AA was one of several organisations which had warned that the new scheme would create difficulties. Edmund King, the AA president, said: “There have been problems for some of our members. We have heard that a number have found the DVLA website very slow.
“Another problem is the need to give a national insurance number. People travelling abroad and hiring vehicles could well not have this number to hand. We are pushing for a change on the website, so people are asked for their passport number instead.”
The BBC said one car hire firm in Bristol had reported a queue of 20 people waiting as staff struggled to access their details online, while another operator nearby “had a queue of customers out of the door”.
The new system has also confused car hire companies.
@DVLAgovuk I run a car hire company. Can't get thru on phone. What do I do with the driving licence code customers give me?
— Daniel Yeates (@danyeates) June 8, 2015
Oliver Morley, the DVLA’s chief executive, has apologised to those who have experienced problems with the new system but said many others had been able to access the site. “We are currently experiencing exceptionally high demand for this service,” he said. “We are aware some customers are experiencing issues with the website and we are working very hard to resolve this as quickly as possible. We are sorry for any inconvenience.”
• This article was amended on 9 June 2015. An earlier version said that Toronto is the capital of Canada, rather than the largest city.
