The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has announced a 7-point plan to reduce test waiting times.

Current problems are blamed on a build-up of tests following Covid-19 lockdowns.

Since then, DVSA has attempted to solve the issue by recruiting more examiners and opening new test slots by expanding hours and weekend bookings.

This latest plan and consultation has been widely welcomed across the industry.

Bumpy roads

Despite some reductions in test waiting times over the last two years, these have proved short-lived.

Figures released by the Department for Transport (DfT) earlier this year indicated that the number of driving tests taken reached a record level of 1.9 million in the 12 months ending March.

However, despite pre-covid waiting times averaging six or seven weeks, the average is now over 19 weeks.

Some areas have waiting times well over 20 weeks.

Frustrations are keenly felt by pupils and ADIs alike, while it has spurned a new industry in selling premium test slots at premium prices.

This ‘unscrupulous’ industry is feeding on desperate pupils, costing them large sums of money for exaggerated booking fees.

It also adds to the problems of the legitimate booking service and increases waiting times.

Desperate pupils are believed to have been charged up to £600 instead of the standard £62 to book a test slot.

 

 

More for less

The DVSA has announced it is recruiting 450 driving examiners and improving rules for booking driving tests in an effort to cut driving test waiting times.

This seven-point plan aims to provide 1.95 million car driving tests in the 12 months to March 2025 and reduce the waiting time to seven weeks by the end of next year.

Lilian Greenwood, minister for the future of roads, said: “Passing your driving test is a life-changing opportunity for millions, but sky-high waiting times for tests in recent years have denied that opportunity to too many people.

“No one should have to wait six months when they’re ready to pass, travel to the other side of the country to take a driving test or be ripped off by unscrupulous websites just because they can’t afford to wait.

“The scale of the backlog we have inherited is huge, but today’s measures are a crucial step to tackle the long driving test wait times, protect learner drivers from being exploited, and support more people to hit the road.”

Examining the issue

The seven-point plan will see 450 driving examiners recruited and trained, with the posts already having been advertised.

However, the DVSA has already been on a recruitment drive for the last two years.

While it has recruited over 500 new examiners over the last few years, the number of examiners leaving appears to have increased.

Many cite poor pay and conditions, increasing workloads and stress as the reason for leaving.

Being a civil service appointment, set pay scales make it difficult to improve remuneration and the attractiveness of a job as an examiner.

The government is believed to be looking at this issue following the recent suspension of strike action by examiners and test centre staff called by the PCS union.

Booking in

The DVSA will also review and improve the rules for booking driving tests and has launched a call for evidence about the current rules and processes.

ADIs are being asked to contribute their thoughts on how the issue of test booking can be improved.

In particular, there are attempts to prevent pupils from booking tests before they are test-ready, stopping the opportunist businesses from booking test slots and preventing no-shows by candidates.

DVSA will introduce a set of tougher terms and conditions for the service driving instructors use to book and manage driving tests for their pupils, which will come into force on January 6, 2025.

They set out that only driving instructors or businesses that employ driving instructors can use the service to book car driving tests.

These new terms and conditions clarify that driving instructors and businesses must not book driving tests on behalf of learner drivers they are not teaching.

The idea of ADIs being given the authority to officially sign off pupils when they are ready to book a test, or the use of ‘log books’ for training, is again on the radar for preventing premature test booking and ensuring novice drivers are safe and competent before attempting a test.

Bots and booking

They also stop driving instructors and businesses from using a learner driver’s details to book a driving test that they have no intention of that particular learner driver using.

This is sometimes done to create a placeholder so the test can be swapped to another learner driver later.

DVSA is consulting on new proposals to increase the time people have to wait to book another test in certain situations—such as making multiple serious or dangerous faults during their driving test, physically or verbally assaulting their driving examiner and failing to attend their driving test without telling DVSA—and consider charging them a penalty.

Learner drivers currently have to wait ten working days before being able to book another test.

DVSA will increase the notice people need to give to change or cancel their car driving test without losing their fee to 10 clear working days from the current three.

The consultation seeks to set out alternative options, extending rebooking waits and possibly incentivising pupils only to take a test when fully test-ready.

It will also explore changing the current 24-week limit on how far ahead car driving tests can be booked and encourage learner drivers to be better prepared for their driving test through the ‘Ready to Pass?’ campaign.