A bike and a car booked into the same slot
Your centre tests cars and motorcycles. The motorcycle bay is shared, or the motorcycle tester also tests cars. On a sunny Saturday in April, three riders turn up for tests. One was booked into a car slot by mistake. Another booked online on a page that did not know the motorcycle tester was off. The third is a walk-in.
The riders wait, a car test is pushed back, and one rider leaves. Meanwhile in November the motorcycle bay sits unused for weeks.
Motorcycles are a different kind of booking
A motorcycle test needs the right kind of equipment and a tester able to test motorcycles. The general diary often treats every test slot as the same, so bikes and cars end up competing for time that suits one but not the other.
Demand is also seasonal. Many riders lay their bikes up for winter and only think about the MOT when the weather improves, so spring brings a rush, often with expired tests on bikes that were off the road.
Riders tend to be particular. Many ride in groups, prefer early mornings, want to wait with the bike, and like to know who is testing it. A booking process built for car owners dropping off on the way to work does not fit them well.
What mixed bookings cost
| Problem | Effect |
|---|---|
| Bikes booked into car slots | Clashes and delays |
| Tester availability not checked | Riders arrive with nobody to test |
| Spring rush unmanaged | Riders turned away at the busiest time |
| Quiet winter | Motorcycle bay unused for weeks |
| No list of past riders | No way to invite them early |
There is a quieter cost in the rider community. Riders talk to each other, in clubs, on forums and at meets. A centre that handles motorcycles well gets recommended, and one that keeps riders waiting behind car tests gets mentioned for the wrong reasons.
How we build motorcycle booking
- Motorcycle tests are a separate booking type, tied to the bay or lane and the testers able to test motorcycles.
- Online booking asks for the bike's registration and looks up its details, then shows only motorcycle slots.
- Riders can choose to wait with the bike, and booking times can be set to suit, such as early mornings at weekends if you offer them.
- Before spring, last year's motorcycle customers receive an invitation to book early, with a link, so the rush is spread out.
- Walk-ins are offered the next real motorcycle slot, and the desk can see which tester is on.
- A seasonal view shows motorcycle bookings by week, so you can plan tester time and consider offers in quiet months.
Which testers may test which classes is recorded as you give it. Checking their entitlement remains the centre's responsibility.
An April Saturday that runs to time
Last year's riders got their invitation in February. Many booked in March, before the rush. On the sunny Saturday in April, the motorcycle slots are booked against the tester who is on, with no car tests in the same slot. The walk-in is offered the next motorcycle slot at half past eleven, and takes it.
In November, a winter offer for riders who keep their bikes on the road fills some of the quiet weeks.
- Motorcycle slots only when bay and tester are right
- Online booking with bike details
- Early invitations to spread the spring rush
- Seasonal planning for tester time
The seasonal view also tells you whether to keep a motorcycle tester on in the quieter months or share their time with car testing, based on your own bookings rather than a guess made each autumn.
Are bikes and cars clashing in your diary?
- Motorcycle tests are booked like car tests.
- Riders sometimes arrive when the motorcycle tester is off.
- Spring brings more bike tests than you can handle.
- The motorcycle bay is quiet for months.
- You have no list of last year's riders.