{"id":69274,"date":"2022-12-13T15:42:37","date_gmt":"2022-12-13T15:42:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=69274"},"modified":"2022-12-20T23:18:42","modified_gmt":"2022-12-20T23:18:42","slug":"cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Cost-of-living crisis the latest bump in the road for Covid-hit driving schools"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-weight:700\">It&#8217;s been one thing after another for driving instructors and learner drivers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>DRIVING instructors have seen their costs rise by up to a quarter amid the cost-of-living crisis and pandemic hangover, while learners are still facing difficulty booking tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over 90% of driving schools have had to increase their prices in the last two years with the average hourly rate now between \u00a331 and \u00a335, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/working-as-a-driving-instructor-survey-october-2022\/working-as-a-driving-instructor-survey-october-2022\">DVSA survey.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Neil Mayes, who owns <em>Streetwise,<\/em> one of South Wales\u2019 largest independent school, said he has seen his outgoings rise considerably compared with this time last year.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"774\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Neil-Mayes-and-his-wife-Sarah-774x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-69404\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Neil-Mayes-and-his-wife-Sarah-774x1024.jpg 774w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Neil-Mayes-and-his-wife-Sarah-227x300.jpg 227w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Neil-Mayes-and-his-wife-Sarah-770x1019.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Neil-Mayes-and-his-wife-Sarah-370x490.jpg 370w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Neil-Mayes-and-his-wife-Sarah-585x775.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Neil-Mayes-and-his-wife-Sarah-293x388.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Neil-Mayes-and-his-wife-Sarah.jpg 946w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 774px) 100vw, 774px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"774\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Neil-Mayes-and-his-wife-Sarah-774x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-69404\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Neil-Mayes-and-his-wife-Sarah-774x1024.jpg 774w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Neil-Mayes-and-his-wife-Sarah-227x300.jpg 227w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Neil-Mayes-and-his-wife-Sarah-770x1019.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Neil-Mayes-and-his-wife-Sarah-370x490.jpg 370w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Neil-Mayes-and-his-wife-Sarah-585x775.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Neil-Mayes-and-his-wife-Sarah-293x388.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Neil-Mayes-and-his-wife-Sarah.jpg 946w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 774px) 100vw, 774px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Neil Mayes and his wife Sarah, who is also a driving instructor with <em>Streetwise<\/em><\/strong>. <br>Facebook: Neil Mayes<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>He told <em>The Cardiffian<\/em>: \u201cCosts have increased by roughly 25% in the last year. We have incurred massive increases in fuel along with insurance and other business costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We have done our very best to keep prices as low as possible but this is unfortunately proving extremely difficult at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignright is-type-wp-embed is-provider-datawrapper wp-block-embed-datawrapper\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" title=\"Price of fuel at the pump 2022\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/Atq5E\/2\/#?secret=bDzTN2c3so\" data-secret=\"bDzTN2c3so\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"400\"><\/iframe><noscript><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" title=\"Price of fuel at the pump 2022\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/Atq5E\/2\/#?secret=bDzTN2c3so\" data-secret=\"bDzTN2c3so\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"400\"><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At its peak, petrol went up by 48 pence per litre between January and July,  with diesel rising by 50p in the same period. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unleaded prices have since fallen closer to the levels they were before the sharp rise after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, although diesel is still over \u00a31.80 a litre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite these costs also biting customers, Mr Mayes has only seen a slight fall in demand for lessons in recent weeks as learners tighten their belts in the run up to Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI do foresee this changing in the New Year however,\u201d he said.  \u201cIt\u2019s too early to say whether this is cost-of-living related but I know that other instructors are feeling the pinch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He employs 24 instructors, and opened up about the pressures of staying afloat over the last two and-a-half years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t lie, it\u2019s been an incredibly tough journey since Covid restrictions were imposed and ensuring the survival of my business has been the number one priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We are fortunate however, that as a company, <em>Streetwise<\/em> is well established and will continue to receive enquiries from those seeking driving lessons.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Streetwise-fleet-1024x773.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-69417\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Streetwise-fleet-1024x773.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-69417\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>The <em>Streetwise<\/em> fleet<\/strong><br>Facebook: Neil Mayes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>During the pandemic, lessons were suspended for much of the first lockdown between March and July 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They were allowed to restart subject to restrictions such as facemasks and regular testing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike most work places, however, social distancing within the confines of a car proved impractical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/thumbnail_image1-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-69469\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/thumbnail_image1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/thumbnail_image1-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/thumbnail_image1-770x1027.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/thumbnail_image1-293x391.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/thumbnail_image1.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/thumbnail_image1-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-69469\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/thumbnail_image1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/thumbnail_image1-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/thumbnail_image1-770x1027.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/thumbnail_image1-293x391.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/thumbnail_image1.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Neil saw the funny side of the impractical social distancing measures<\/strong>. <br>Facebook: Neil Mayes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>These measures, alongside the subsequent lockdowns, prevented the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) from being able to conduct tests for seven months, creating a huge backlog once restrictions eased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Around 68% of schools currently have no availability for new pupils, although waiting lists have been gradually shrinking since June 2021. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For learner drivers, too, it has been a difficult period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the DVSA website, waiting times for Cardiff\u2019s Llanishen centre are still around three months for a practical test despite the agency recruiting nearly 500 more examiners nationwide to reduce this.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"692\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Reasons-for-learners-stopping-lessons-1024x692.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-69428\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Reasons-for-learners-stopping-lessons-1024x692.png 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Reasons-for-learners-stopping-lessons-300x203.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Reasons-for-learners-stopping-lessons-770x520.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Reasons-for-learners-stopping-lessons-293x198.png 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Reasons-for-learners-stopping-lessons.png 1072w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"692\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Reasons-for-learners-stopping-lessons-1024x692.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-69428\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Reasons-for-learners-stopping-lessons-1024x692.png 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Reasons-for-learners-stopping-lessons-300x203.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Reasons-for-learners-stopping-lessons-770x520.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Reasons-for-learners-stopping-lessons-293x198.png 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Reasons-for-learners-stopping-lessons.png 1072w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>A DVSA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/working-as-a-driving-instructor-survey-october-2022\/working-as-a-driving-instructor-survey-october-2022\">survey<\/a> found that waiting times and financial constraints were most to blame<\/strong> <strong>for learners postponing lessons.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Alongside financial constraints, learners are citing these waits as the main reason for stopping their lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With driving centre staff strikes beginning across the UK, and continuing into January 2023, the disruption to those with L plates is likely to continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Examiners at the Cardiff centres in Llanishen and Llantrisant will be picketing from January 4 to 10, meaning that practical tests are likely to be affected.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Llanishen-test-centre.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-69430\" width=\"568\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Llanishen-test-centre.jpg 408w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Llanishen-test-centre-300x176.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Llanishen-test-centre-293x172.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 568px) 100vw, 568px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Llanishen-test-centre.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-69430\" width=\"568\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Llanishen-test-centre.jpg 408w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Llanishen-test-centre-300x176.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Llanishen-test-centre-293x172.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 568px) 100vw, 568px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Llanishen Test Centre where staff are due to go on strike in January<\/strong> <br>Credit &#8211; Google<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, said his members are striking over Downing Street ignoring wage demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe government has given them no option. Their pay has fallen far below inflation and many of our members \u2013 the government\u2019s own workforce \u2013 are forced to use foodbanks because they can\u2019t afford to eat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The DVSA has been approached for further comment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, they are advising those with tests booked on strike days to attend as planned, unless told otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Civil service strike action from Tuesday 13 December \u26a0\ufe0f <br> <br>Some DVSA services will be affected, including driving tests and customer contact centre availability. (1\/4)<\/p>&mdash; Driver &amp; Vehicle Standards Agency (@DVSAgovuk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DVSAgovuk\/status\/1600049734785191936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 6, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s been one thing after another for driving instructors and learner drivers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":910,"featured_media":69417,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8175,3,1],"tags":[1291,7841,7676,1022,2661],"coauthors":[8084],"class_list":["post-69274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cost-of-living-crisis-in-cardiff","category-news","category-outabout","tag-cardiff-2","tag-cost-of-living-crisis","tag-covid-restrictions","tag-covid-19","tag-driving"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Cost-of-living crisis the latest bump in the road for Covid-hit driving schools - The Cardiffian<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cost-of-living crisis the latest bump in the road for Covid-hit driving schools - The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It&#039;s been one thing after another for driving instructors and learner drivers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-12-13T15:42:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-12-20T23:18:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Streetwise-fleet-e1670938089424.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1130\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"650\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alfie Reynolds\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@alfiereynolds_\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alfie Reynolds\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/\",\"name\":\"Cost-of-living crisis the latest bump in the road for Covid-hit driving schools - The Cardiffian\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Streetwise-fleet-e1670938089424.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-13T15:42:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-20T23:18:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/c4e3fc837953173850d16f9abdbd998e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Streetwise-fleet-e1670938089424.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Streetwise-fleet-e1670938089424.jpg\",\"width\":1130,\"height\":650,\"caption\":\"The Streetwise Fleet. Facebook: Neil Mayes\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Cost-of-living crisis the latest bump in the road for Covid-hit driving schools\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/\",\"name\":\"The Cardiffian\",\"description\":\"Just another JOMEC Sites Network site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/c4e3fc837953173850d16f9abdbd998e\",\"name\":\"Alfie Reynolds\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/b23b8126d83695977115a7733d529888\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/avatar_user_910_1666272769-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/avatar_user_910_1666272769-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Alfie Reynolds\"},\"description\":\"Trainee journalist covering Grangetown and Sports Village\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/alfie-reynolds-393abb143\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/alfiereynolds_\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/author\/reynoldsa2\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cost-of-living crisis the latest bump in the road for Covid-hit driving schools - The Cardiffian","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cost-of-living crisis the latest bump in the road for Covid-hit driving schools - The Cardiffian","og_description":"It's been one thing after another for driving instructors and learner drivers","og_url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/","og_site_name":"The Cardiffian","article_published_time":"2022-12-13T15:42:37+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-12-20T23:18:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1130,"height":650,"url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Streetwise-fleet-e1670938089424.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Alfie Reynolds","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@alfiereynolds_","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Alfie Reynolds","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/","name":"Cost-of-living crisis the latest bump in the road for Covid-hit driving schools - The Cardiffian","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Streetwise-fleet-e1670938089424.jpg","datePublished":"2022-12-13T15:42:37+00:00","dateModified":"2022-12-20T23:18:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/c4e3fc837953173850d16f9abdbd998e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Streetwise-fleet-e1670938089424.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/12\/Streetwise-fleet-e1670938089424.jpg","width":1130,"height":650,"caption":"The Streetwise Fleet. Facebook: Neil Mayes"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/13\/cost-of-living-crisis-the-latest-bump-in-the-road-for-covid-hit-driving-schools\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Cost-of-living crisis the latest bump in the road for Covid-hit driving schools"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/","name":"The Cardiffian","description":"Just another JOMEC Sites Network site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/c4e3fc837953173850d16f9abdbd998e","name":"Alfie Reynolds","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/b23b8126d83695977115a7733d529888","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/avatar_user_910_1666272769-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/avatar_user_910_1666272769-96x96.jpg","caption":"Alfie Reynolds"},"description":"Trainee journalist covering Grangetown and Sports Village","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/alfie-reynolds-393abb143","https:\/\/x.com\/alfiereynolds_"],"url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/author\/reynoldsa2\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/910"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69274"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70806,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69274\/revisions\/70806"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69274"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=69274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}