Progressive access allows you to take advantage of your previous riding experience and skills in a lower motorcycle category to acquire a licence in a higher category without taking another driving test.
You can only acquire a licence by progressive access once. This means you can progress from a category A1 licence to a category A2 licence. If you then wanted to acquire a category A licence you would need to take the driving test.
You cannot use previous experience on a category AM (moped and light quadricycle) motorcycle for progressive access to any another category.
To take advantage of progressive access, you must complete a specialized 11-hour Initial Basic Training (IBT) module. This builds on the training modules you undertook to acquire your first motorcycle licence. Upon successful completion of this progression module your Approved IBT Instructor will issue you with a certificate of satisfactory completion.
If you want to upgrade the motorcycle you ride to a higher-powered motorcycle or go from an automatic to a manual, you can complete a progression module.. This allows you to get the training you need to ride a different type of motorcycle without having to repeat the whole Initial Basic Training (IBT) course.
If you want to apply for a category A2 (medium-sized motorcycle) driving licence by progressive access, you will already have taken the required modules for your category A1 licence. You must now complete a further 11-hour progression module:
Upon successful completion of module 5, you are not required to take the driving test. Instead, you will be issued with a certificate of satisfactory completion by your Approved IBT Instructor.
This short video summarises what IBT involves.
Progressive access allows you to apply for a driving licence without having to take the motorcycle driving test by taking advantage of your experience riding a lower-powered motorcycle. However, progressive access is only available once to experienced holders of A1 and A2 motorcycle licences provided the lower category of licence has been held for a minimum of two years and the required Initial Basic Training (IBT) is already in place. As a category A2 (medium-sized motorcycle) licence holder you would be eligible for progressive access to category A (any motorcycle), provided you did not acquire your category A2 licence by progressive access