Driving test wait should fall to 10 weeks by September
The Chief Operating Officer with the Road Safety Authority has said waiting times for driving tests should be down to ten weeks by the start of September.
Brendan Walsh said the reduction in waiting times will be achieved by hiring more testers, and, where possible, running tests early in the morning, later in the evening and on Saturdays.
He said staff have also offered to work bank holiday Mondays.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Walsh said the waiting time at the end of April was 27 weeks and this has already been reduced to 22 weeks.
"We've introduced 41 new testers into our service. We have another 20 in training at the moment, another twelve will join them in two weeks time. A further 18 will join the service in July for training.
"In addition our staff have committed to deliver tests where possible, at half seven in the morning, running out to seven pm, in addition working saturdays and also, for the first time ever, offering to work on bank holiday Mondays," Mr Walsh said.
He said a number of new testers are already in place and are in the process of being trained while more are due to join the team in the summer.
Mr Walsh acknowledged the stress that long waiting lists are placing on the public.
However, he noted that there is an unprecedented level of demand for tests.
"In 2021 we carried out 160,000 tests. Last year, we carried out a quarter of a million driving tests. That's why we need this plan. That's why we need permanent staff," he said.
The number of people awaiting re-tests varies, he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
People trying to book a driving test facing ‘ridiculous' wait to log in
Some people attempting to book a driving test have had to wait over an hour to log in to the Road Safety Authority (RSA) website amid 'particularly high levels of traffic'. When attempting to access the site in recent days, users have been notified they are in a queue 'due to exceptional demand'. In some cases, people have been told their estimated wait time is more than an hour. One person who attempted to log in to the site described the wait time as 'ridiculous'. A spokesman for the RSA said the organisation has 'experienced particularly high levels of traffic to the booking system' in recent weeks following efforts to tackle the backlog of people waiting to take their driving tests. READ MORE 'This has led to intermittent delays for some users, especially during peak times which we appreciate can be frustrating,' he said. Some people have reported difficulty logging in to the RSA website The spokesman noted that most people are able to log in and complete their booking within an average of 10 minutes. 'However, this can vary depending on a number of factors and variables – including the time of day, the level of traffic on the site, internet connectivity and the device being used,' he said. The spokesman added that the RSA's current focus is on 'reducing waiting times and delivering additional capacity' for driving tests, but there are also plans in place to 'upgrade the booking platform and IT infrastructure once service levels have sufficiently reduced and stabilised'. As of May, around 100,000 learners were waiting to sit their driving test with many people waiting several months to get an appointment. The RSA recently launched an action plan to reduce this wait time to 10 weeks by early September 2025. Measures announced under the action plan include hiring more testers, setting up new driving test centres in key areas to bring the national total to 60 centres, and expanding testing times from 7.25am to 7pm. [ Driving test logjam: how to beat the long waiting times Opens in new window ] The action plan also notes there will be 'targeted manual intervention in the booking system to ensure invitations are issued to areas of greatest demand to ensure more efficient slot allocation'. On Thursday, the RSA said a fall in the average national waiting time for a driving test to just under 21 weeks was 'encouraging early progress'. The average wait was 20.6 weeks as of May 31st, down from 21.4 the previous week, which the RSA said was 'significantly ahead of the forecasted 25 weeks'. It said the reduction reflected the 'pace and focus' with which the RSA had been implementing targeted measures. The waiting time for those booking a driving test varies significantly depending on location, with Tallaght currently having the longest estimated wait time of about 36 weeks.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Irish Times
Driving test times fall after measures put in place
A fall in the average national waiting time for a driving test to just under 21 weeks has been described by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) as 'encouraging early progress'. The average wait was 20.6 weeks as of May 31st, down from 21.4 the previous week, which the RSA said was 'significantly ahead of the forecasted 25 weeks'. It said the reduction reflected the 'pace and focus' with which the RSA had been implementing targeted measures outlined in an action plan. The plan, published last month after the average wait reached 27 weeks at the end of April, aims to reach its service-level agreement target of 10 weeks by early September. READ MORE That move followed meetings with Minister of State for Transport Seán Canney and repeated criticism in recent years over the backlogs, with 100,000 learners waiting last month. The waiting time for those booking a driving test varies significantly when broken down by centre, with Tallaght currently having the longest estimated wait of 36 weeks. Once a learner receives an invitation to book a test, they then choose from appointment slots over the following three to five weeks, according to the RSA. [ Driving test logjam: how to beat the long waiting times Opens in new window ] Learner drivers hoping to book a test in Navan , Co Meath, face a wait of 32 weeks, according to RSA estimates. The centre in Charlestown, north Dublin currently has the shortest estimated wait at nine weeks, followed by Donegal at 12 weeks. Measures announced under the action plan include new driving test centres in key areas, which the RSA said are in the final stages of the contracting process. A spokeswoman said the RSA was not yet in a position to confirm the exact locations of these new centres, 'but it's our hope to have these operational within the coming weeks'. The time during which tests take place has been extended from 7.25am to 7pm for the last three weeks, while staff worked during the recent bank holiday weekend, when more than 700 tests were scheduled. While there is still a 'considerable journey ahead' to reach the 10-week service-level agreement, Brendan Walsh, the RSA's chief operations officer said: 'We are encouraged by the early indicators of progress.'
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Irish Independent
Irish citizens travelling to Georgia to obtain a fast-track driving licence in loophole
Tonight Prime Time on RTÉ will explore how Irish citizens were travelling, in an agreement the that is no longer in operation. Last week, Prime Time travelled to a driving school in Rustavi, a city near the Georgian capital Tbilisi, to look into the trend. Many Irish people travelled there after contacting Mika Vincheuski, a Belarusian living in Georgia who facilitates driving lessons and arranges test dates for non-Georgians who want to get their licence quickly. 'It's a fully legal process,' said Ms Vincheuski. 'People arrive in Georgia, take lessons, pass the tests, and get their licence. We just help them navigate the system.' Georgia's fast and efficient process for driving tests has brought people to the country from all over the world, including some from Ireland. Some companies offered licenses to Irish people in approximately 14 days, with applicants completing a theory test, parking exam and city driving exam for approximately €800. Currently, the average waiting list in Ireland to get a driving test appointment is over 20 weeks. This is after you have completed a theory test, applied for a learner's permit and completed 12 lessons over the course of several months. Ireland is also experiencing a large backlog of driving test applications with more than 83,000 applicants waiting for a driving test in April. Prime Time met a number of Irish people who were in Georgia, who explained why they chose to make the journey. Among those who travelled to the country was Laura, who had passed her motorcycle test and received her licence. She plans to exchange it for the Irish equivalent within weeks of returning home. "I did the motorcycle one, so it's been a success three days in: theory on the first day, on the third day then I did my test - passed, licence in hand," she said. Prime Time has since learned that this process has been officially closed. The Georgian Ministry for Internal Affairs has confirmed to Prime Time that new legislation was enacted last week, requiring applicants for Georgian driving licences to have resided in the country for a minimum of 180 days. This move effectively halts a workaround increasingly used by Irish people facing long delays in the Irish driving test system. The programme will also feature a follow-up to RTÉ Investigates: Inside Ireland's Nursing Homes.
