Labour’s transport chief has pleaded for driving test examiners to step forward to help tackle a huge backlog of learner drivers.
Heidi Alexander told MPs that current waits are “totally unacceptable” as she pledged tens of thousands more exams this year. She revealed she has ordered the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to offer overtime payments to examiners, as well as getting those qualified to return voluntarily.
Ms Alexander told the Transport Select Committee that the long waits are at “crisis” point. She vowed flaws in the booking system mean tests are being booked by bots who are “exploiting” learners by reselling slots in the same way that ticket touts hike up concert ticket prices.
The Transport Secretary announced that the number of trainers for new examiners will be doubled. The Transport Secretary said: “I have instructed them to pay additional overtime incentive payments to everyone delivering extra driving tests to try and crack through the number of people waiting.
“We are asking DVSA staff who are qualified to conduct driving test examinations to consider returning to the front line voluntarily and carrying out tests themselves.” Ms Alexander also vowed action to deal with bots who are “exploiting learners”.
The Cabinet member said her department is aiming to end the backlog by summer 2026. Recent analysis by the AA Driving School showed the average waiting time to book a practical test in Britain was 20 weeks in February, up from 14 weeks a year earlier.
The number of test centres with a 24-week waiting time – the maximum possible – nearly doubled over the period, from 94 to 183.
Lib Dem MP Steff Aquarone warned that the backlog could lead to drivers fluking their way through the test too early. He also said that because tests are cheaper than lessons, some are booking to save money.
He told the committee: “I learned anecdotally from talking to people in the queue at the moment that they book as soon as they start their driving lessons, because they know there’s a delay, they take the test as one of the lessons.
“They take the test whether they’re ready or not, because it’s actually cheaper in some parts of the country than doing a driving lesson. And so why wouldn’t you and why would you bother cancelling?
“And that means that either we’re getting more tests used by people that fail because they’re taking them prematurely, or worse, we’re getting people passing sort of by chance if they’re not actually safe and ready to drive.”
Ms Alexander said increasing the price of a driving test has not been ruled out – but warned most would expect the system to improve first. She announced that at least 10,000 extra tests per month will be offered to learners as part of new measures to tackle the issue.
The PA news agency and motoring research charity the RAC Foundation found on March 31 there were 583,000 tests booked for future dates, which is the highest on record. Questioned about when average waiting times will be reduced to seven weeks, Ms Alexander said: “We think that this package of measures I’m announcing today could result in us meeting that target again in the summer of next year.”
The DVSA has previously attributed the backlog to “an increase in demand and a change in customers’ booking behaviour”.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
