Latest news with #DVSA
The Independent
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Independent
Driving test warning as top school warns situation ‘cannot get much worse'
Learner drivers across Britain are facing waits of more than five months to book a test, with new figures revealing that four out of five test centres have the maximum possible waiting time. As of 5 May, 258 locations – 81 per cent of all sites – had a 24-week backlog for a driving test, a significant increase from 161 at the start of the year. AA Driving School, which obtained the data from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), warned that the situation "cannot get much worse". The average waiting time across all test centres has now reached 22 weeks, up from 14 weeks in February 2024. The DVSA attributes the delays to a surge in demand and candidates booking tests much earlier than previously. Officials hope that an increase in the number of tests conducted will help to reduce these extensive waiting times. 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'. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said in April the Labour Government 'inherited an enormous backlog' but was 'acting fast'. She told the Commons Transport Select Committee her department aimed to reduce the average waiting time to seven weeks by summer 2026. A Government consultation on amending the test booking system closed last week. This featured a plan aimed at stopping bots mass-booking new slots so they can be resold on the black market for inflated prices. The Department for Transport also instructed the DVSA to offer additional overtime payments to incentivise instructors to conduct more tests. 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. 'New measures designed to start bringing down waiting times were implemented at the start of April by the DVSA. 'There are signs of recovery though, putting both the industry and learners on tenterhooks for more signs of improvement in the coming months. 'While we would expect these 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.' DVSA chief executive Loveday Ryder said: 'DVSA's goal is to make booking a driving test easier and fairer for learner drivers. 'We are making progress on our plans. 'We're really grateful to everyone who has responded to our recent consultation, including learners, parents and driving instructors. 'We're now analysing the survey responses. 'Using your feedback, we'll be able to plan our next steps on improving car test booking rules.'
The National
16 hours ago
- Automotive
- The National
Labour accused of 'dithering' over huge driving test waiting times
Fresh figures show learner drivers are being forced to wait more than five months to book a slot at four out of five test centres. Some 258 locations in Britain had the maximum possible waiting time of 24 weeks for a test as of May 5, which is 81% of all sites. That is up from 161 at the start of the year. Driving tests are a reserved matter under the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). AA Driving School, which obtained the figures from the DVSA, warned the situation 'cannot get much worse'. READ MORE: Petition to repeal Online Safety Act reaches 340K signatures – how to sign The average waiting time across all test centres has reached 22 weeks, up from 14 weeks in February 2024. The SNP have now accused Labour of leaving Scottish learner drivers "in limbo". MSP George Adam said: "Learner drivers across Scotland are being left in limbo, unable to access work, education or essential travel, all because Labour at Westminster has failed to get a grip on this spiralling backlog. "Labour promised action, but what we've seen is delay, dithering, and excuses. Their new target is not only too late, it's an admission that they've already broken their promise to learners. 'While officials scramble to fix Labour's mess, Scottish young people and families are paying the price. This is yet another clear example of how Westminster control is failing Scotland." Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander (below) said in April the Labour Government 'inherited an enormous backlog' but was 'acting fast'. (Image: Jonathan Brady) She told the Commons [[Transport]] Select Committee her department aimed to reduce the average waiting time to seven weeks by summer 2026. A Government consultation on amending the test booking system closed last week. This featured a plan aimed at stopping bots mass-booking new slots so they can be resold on the black market for inflated prices. The Department for Transport also instructed the DVSA to offer additional overtime payments to incentivise instructors to conduct more tests. READ MORE: Donald Trump praises 'fantastic' Labour crackdown on immigration 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. 'New measures designed to start bringing down waiting times were implemented at the start of April by the DVSA. 'There are signs of recovery though, putting both the industry and learners on tenterhooks for more signs of improvement in the coming months. 'While we would expect these 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.' DVSA chief executive Loveday Ryder said: 'DVSA's goal is to make booking a driving test easier and fairer for learner drivers. 'We are making progress on our plans. 'We're really grateful to everyone who has responded to our recent consultation, including learners, parents and driving instructors. 'We're now analysing the survey responses. 'Using your feedback, we'll be able to plan our next steps on improving car test booking rules.'
The Independent
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Independent
The long wait learner drivers face to book their test
Learner drivers in Britain face significant delays, with 81 per cent of test centres (258 locations) reporting the maximum 24-week waiting time for driving tests as of 5 May. The average waiting time across all test centres has increased to 22 weeks, up from 14 weeks in February 2024. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) attributes the backlog to increased demand and early bookings, prompting an investigation by the National Audit Office. The government aims to reduce the average waiting time to seven weeks by summer 2026 and has consulted on measures to prevent bots from mass-booking and reselling test slots. Efforts to tackle the backlog include offering additional overtime payments to examiners and doubling the number of permanent trainers for new examiners.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Automotive
- Telegraph
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.'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Learner drivers forced to wait more than five months to book their driving tests
Learner drivers are having to wait more than five months to book their driving test at four out of five British test centres, it emerged yesterday. 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.'
