What's happened
The UK government’s plan to reduce driving test wait times to seven weeks by the end of 2025 has been delayed until November 2027. Despite multiple recruitment efforts, only 83 new examiners have been hired, and waiting times across the UK now average 22 weeks, with many learners paying up to £500 to secure test slots.
What's behind the headline?
The story reveals systemic failures in the UK's driver testing system, highlighting how pandemic-related disruptions exposed long-standing recruitment and resource issues. The delay until 2027 underscores the government's inability to swiftly adapt to demand, risking further frustration for learners. The reliance on military examiners and restrictions on booking practices suggest a reactive approach rather than a strategic overhaul. This situation benefits third-party resellers, who profit from the backlog, while genuine learners face increased costs and delays. The story also exposes broader issues in public service staffing, where low pay and safety concerns drive high turnover, hampering capacity. Moving forward, the government must prioritize sustainable recruitment and technological solutions to prevent future backlogs and curb exploitation, or risk further erosion of public trust in licensing authorities.
What the papers say
The Scotsman reports that the backlog was initially targeted to be cleared by the end of 2025, but delays mean it now extends to November 2027, with only 83 examiners recruited despite 19 campaigns. The Guardian emphasizes the slow response to rising demand and the impact of bots exploiting booking systems, with the NAO warning that the current system is 'not working satisfactorily.' Neil Lancefield of The Independent highlights the financial burden on learners, with many paying up to £500 to secure test slots, and criticizes the DVSA's failure to meet recruitment targets. All sources agree that the backlog has worsened due to pandemic disruptions and systemic staffing issues, but differ slightly in their focus—The Scotsman on regional delays, The Guardian on systemic failures, and The Independent on financial exploitation and urgent reforms needed.
How we got here
The backlog in driving tests worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 1.1 million tests postponed in 2020-21. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) struggled to meet demand, partly due to high examiner turnover caused by low pay and safety concerns. Recruitment campaigns have fallen short, with only 83 examiners added since 2021 against a target of 400. The situation has led to a black market for test slots, exploited by third-party resellers using automated booking bots. The government has announced measures, including deploying military examiners and restricting test bookings, to address the issue.
Go deeper
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The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is an executive agency of the UK Department for Transport.
It carries out driving tests, approves people to be driving instructors and MOT testers, carries out tests to make sure lorries and buses are safe to drive,
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The National Audit Office is an independent Parliamentary body in the United Kingdom which is responsible for auditing central government departments, government agencies and non-departmental public bodies.