MP complains over lack of driving test appointments

A Surrey MP has complained to the transport secretary over the shortage of driving test appointments.

Al Pinkerton, who represents Surrey Heath, has written a letter to Heidi Alexander, in which he suggested a plan to alleviate the problem.

The Liberal Democrat called for more examiners and test centres, extended operating hours and a ban on third-party booking services.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said it planned to review the test booking system to ensure learner drivers could book tests "easily and efficiently".

In the letter, Pinkerton said he had spoken to one constituent who had completed a 728-mile (1171.6km) round trip to Berwick-upon-Tweed for an available appointment.

"This not only incurs significant additional costs and time, but also leads to extended waiting periods elsewhere in the UK," he said.

He added that more test centres would ease geographical disparities, while prohibiting third-party booking services would eliminate exploitation through premium charges.

The MP said residents of Surrey Heath relied on private vehicles for transportation due to the area's "inadequate public transport infrastructure".

"If the current situation persists, young people will seek to relocate to other towns and regions with superior transportation options, impacting local families, skills and economies," he added.

Lilian Greenwood, minister for the future of roads, said the DVSA had a seven-point plan to reduce waiting times, which included recruiting 450 examiners across Great Britain.

"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," she said.

"The scale of the backlog we have inherited is huge, but the 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."

Meanwhile, AA Driving School is urging more people to consider a career as a driving instructors – 90 years on since the driving test was introduced to the UK.

One in seven instructors are closed to new pupils, while 20% have increased their working hours to cope with increased demand, according to research by Markettiers.

The UK's largest driving school highlighted the pandemic as the primary cause of the backlog and estimated an additional 300 new driving instructors were needed across the UK to serve the increase in pupil demand.

It highlighted Medway in Kent as the eighth area in the UK most in need of new instructors.

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