Complaints are mounting about the lack of driving test availability in Dwyfor Meirionnydd.

MP Liz Saville Roberts has written to the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) after being told by local driving instructors and learners there is no availability in Pwllheli, Bala or Bangor for at least three months, with learners unable to book a slot three months in advance.

Students face having to retake their theory exam if it expires by the time they get round to sitting their practical test.

The MP wants the DVSA and Department for Transport to urgently review the situation to help clear the backlog.

The DVSA planned on cutting waiting times to seven weeks by the end of 2025. The ongoing delay means the government is set to miss its original target for waiting times by up to eight months.

The MP said: “If there is no provision at Pwllheli or Bala, people are expected to travel several hours to the nearest alternative centre – with no guarantee of availability there either.

“The DVSA and Department of Transport should urgently review whether current resources sufficiently meet increasing demands and whether any of the additional 10,000 tests announced by the Transport Secretary in April were allocated to test centres in Gwynedd.

“The DVSA should be mindful of the additional needs of those living in rural areas when it comes to getting around, such as the unreliability of public transport. They should have fairly and proportionately distributed these tests according to such needs.”

“This is a matter I have previously raised with the government, yet it seems little has been done to get to grips with the problem and find a sustainable, long-term solution.”

“The system remains a source of stress, inconvenience, and financial strain. Greater transparency and regional accountability are clearly needed to restore public confidence.

Young learner driver Glain Tudur from Llandwrog said:

“I’m twenty years old and I’ve had enough of relying on others to get me from one place to another, especially as I study at Bangor University and come from Llandwrog, which is only half an hour away by car.

“I have been having driving lessons almost weekly since April and am now confident and ready to take my test. I started looking for tests back in June and there was no availability at any test centre in Gwynedd at all.

“My friend recommended I book a test anywhere in the UK and download apps which offer cancellations.

“I have now managed to book a test for February 2026, but it is in Aberystwyth and since then I have downloaded three different apps which are partnered with the DVSA to notify of cancellations.

“I have paid almost £20 to get the most out of the apps to secure a test here in Gwynedd. For weeks, I have been getting up very early to search for available tests in Gwynedd but have yet to secure a slot.

“There is so much demand and so very few slots released that they are taken straight away.”