Driving test backlog to be cleared by next summer, minister says

The transport secretary has pledged to scale back the variety of learner drivers in England ready greater than 5 months to sit down sensible checks.

Heidi Alexander stated the federal government would purpose to clear the backlog by subsequent summer season, offering at the least 10,000 additional driving checks a month to assist sort out the problem.

Present driving take a look at wait occasions are “completely unacceptable”, she instructed parliament’s transport committee on Wednesday.

There’s a minimal six-month wait to e book a driving take a look at in a number of areas of the UK, according to data from the AA.

The transport secretary stated the brand new measures would assist scale back common ready occasions to not more than seven weeks by summer season 2026.

It means the federal government is about to overlook its authentic goal for ready occasions by up eight months.

The Driver and Car Requirements Company (DVSA) had deliberate on reducing ready occasions to seven weeks by the tip of this yr. It has blamed an “enhance in demand and a change in prospects’ reserving behaviour” for the backlog.

So as to sort out the delays, Alexander revealed plans to double coaching capability so extra driving examiners could be obtainable.

She stated she was additionally asking these in different DVSA roles who’re certified, however not longer look at, to briefly “return to the frontline”.

She stated it could additionally reintroduce extra time pay incentives for everybody delivering driving checks.

A file 1.95 million checks had been booked final yr, however the authorities would now seek the advice of on adjustments to the take a look at reserving system, Alexander added.

She stated there have been plans to crackdown on take a look at reserving bots which she stated had been “exploiting learners”.

Check reserving bots are automated software program which might act a lot sooner than a human to quickly e book an appointment on the DVSA web site.

Such bots can safe a number of take a look at slots and a few corporations have used this know-how to resell driving take a look at slots at inflated costs.

Emma Bush, managing director of AA Driving College, welcomed the “additional particulars of how the DVSA will meet its goal ready time of seven weeks by the tip of the yr”.

“Learner drivers have been coping with frustratingly lengthy ready occasions to e book a driving take a look at for the reason that easing of pandemic associated restrictions a number of years in the past,” she stated.

“Many individuals, significantly younger individuals, must move their driving take a look at for his or her job or to entry training. Unblocking the system by creating additional checks will assist guarantee individuals are not being held again as a result of a scarcity of a driving licence.”