Shortages, long delays and rising costs - the test system is failing learner drivers

For generations, learning to drive has been a milestone of independence. It’s the moment young people gain the freedom to travel for work, education, and social life without relying on parents, buses, taxis or Ubers. For many young people, especially those that live outside major cities, driving isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.

But today, that rite of passage is being pushed further out of reach as long delays in booking a driving test are leaving thousands of young drivers stuck in limbo, and the consequences are more serious than many realise.

Three quarters of the test centres in the UK, who employ just under 1,600 examiners, are now working to a 24-week wait list with the set seven-week target not expected to be met until 2027. In the meantime, drivers are having to go in search of test slots out of their area, some a long way from home.

A friend of my sons who lives in Maidenhead, Berkshire accepted a test slot in Cardiff for a retake which is 125 miles away. Fortunately, she passed but the logistical issues could have taken their toll on the test result and her sanity, and that’s not considering the costs of staying in a hotel the night before and a parent taking a day off work to drive her to Wales.

One of his friends even paid £400 on the black market for a test slot to beat the queue. The official DVSA fee is £62 for a weekday slot.

Fortunately, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has now changed the rules so from 12 May only learner drivers can book, cancel or swap their test not their driving instructor. That should get away from automated bots bulk-buying test slots and selling them at heavily inflated prices.

Many young people need a licence to be able to work and with the cost of public transport, particularly trains, being prohibitively expensive at peak times of the day it has left many in limbo. Young drivers are being let down by a public service and the DVSA should be looking to improve the package offered to examiners to support recruitment just as they are doing other public servants, otherwise the problem looks set to roll on for many more years to come.