Learner drivers forced to wait more than five months to book their driving tests
Some 258 sites, or 81 per cent of the total, had the maximum waiting time of 24 weeks for a test as of May 5 – up from 161 at the start of the year.
AA Driving School, which obtained the figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), said things 'cannot get much worse'.
The average waiting time across all test centres has reached 22 weeks, up from 14 weeks in February 2024.
The DVSA blamed higher demand and some learners booking their test much earlier than before.
Officials hope an increase in the number of tests will bring waiting times down. The number of bookings in the DVSA's system was 122,000 higher in June than 12 months earlier.
The National Audit Office recently vowed to investigate the 'root causes' of delays to booking tests, and 'how the DVSA is responding'.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said in April that the Government 'inherited an enormous backlog', but was 'acting fast'.
She told the Commons transport committee that her department aimed to reduce the average waiting time to seven weeks by next summer.
A Government consultation on amending the test booking system closed last week, having floated a plan to stop people making a quick buck by using bots – automated software – to mass-book slots for resale on the black market.
The DVSA is offering overtime payments to get instructors to conduct more tests.
AA Driving School managing director Emma Bush said: 'The situation cannot get much worse. It is disappointing to see learners are continuing to face an uphill battle when it comes to booking their test.'
DVSA boss Loveday Ryder said: 'DVSA's goal is to make booking a test easier and fairer.'
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2 minutes ago
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Learner drivers forced to wait five months for test slot
Learner drivers are being forced to wait more than five months to book driving tests, figures reveal. Some 258 locations – 81 per cent of all sites – in Britain had the maximum possible waiting time of 24 weeks for a test as of May 5, up from 161 at the start of the year. AA Driving School, which obtained the figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), said that the situation 'cannot get much worse'. The average waiting time across all test centres has increased to 22 weeks, up from 14 weeks in February 2024. Higher demand and people booking their tests earlier are behind the surge in waits. Officials hope an increase in the number of tests being conducted will bring waiting times down. The number of future bookings in the DVSA's system was 122,000 higher in June compared with the same month last year. Public spending watchdog the National Audit Office recently announced it will investigate the 'root causes' of delays to booking tests, and 'how the DVSA is responding'. Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, said in April that the Government 'inherited an enormous backlog' and has said that her department aims to cut the average waiting time to seven weeks by next Summer. A Government consultation which closed last week featured a plan aimed at stopping bots mass-booking new slots so they can be resold on the black market for inflated prices. Additional overtime payments The Department for Transport also instructed the DVSA to offer additional overtime payments to instructors. Staff at the agency qualified to conduct tests are being asked to voluntarily return to the front line, while the number of permanent trainers for new examiners is being doubled. Emma Bush, managing director of AA Driving School, said: 'With the vast majority of driving test centres now showing waits at the maximum the system will allow, the situation cannot get much worse. 'While we would expect [the DVSA's] changes to take a few months to show a positive impact, it is still disappointing to see that learners are continuing to face an uphill battle when it comes to booking their driving test.' Loveday Ryder, the DVSA chief executive, said: 'DVSA's goal is to make booking a driving test easier and fairer for learner drivers. We are making progress on our plans.'
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5 hours ago
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Learner drivers forced to wait more than five months to book their driving tests
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