LEARNERS across the county and country are facing shocking waits to sit their practical driving test.

Having been nearly a year since driving tests and lessons were resumed, tests remain almost unobtainable for learner drivers.

Since the government recommenced driving tests in April last year there has been an influx of demand following the lengthy Covid-19 ban; learner drivers across the county have been forced to wait months for the opportunity to sit their driving test and earn their full driver’s license.

And it isn’t just driving tests which are experiencing great delays, driving instructors are in high demand, causing extensive waiting lists.

Steve Griffiths, instructor for Aberystwyth Driving School, described the “nightmare” situation.

“Right now, it’s an absolute nightmare, we as instructors are getting students to the standard they need to be at for their test but then they’re unable to get a slot.

“Having been in the business for 32 years, I’ve never seen delays this bad. There was a period in Aberystwyth in which the test centre had to shut but even then, backlogs weren’t this long.”

He said that delays are also causing mounting pressure for learners.

“Students are feeling the pressure to pass their test because if something was to happen, a mistake or even something happening in the test that is out of their control, they’re having to wait another two or three months for the chance to retake.

“It’s a total travesty, it’s really affecting learners and something needs to be done about it,” he added.

These delays however, are not exclusively a county issue, across the country, learners are seeing delays up to as long as 10 months, one person who has experienced this is Aberystwyth University student, Elizabeth Jolley.

“I started to learn to drive in August 2020, I did a five-day intensive course, but before I could take my test we went into a lockdown.

“It was really frustrating to have it cancelled because I was ready to take it and needed it for my upcoming work placement as part of my degree,” she added.

Elizabeth said lockdowns affected her chances of getting a test. “All-in-all I had my test cancelled three times, which meant I didn’t have my licence before I started work.

“It made work incredibly difficult, as it meant that I had to be paired with colleague who could drive.

“It really affected my work, it made things incredibly frustrating.”

She said delays also meant that she had to spend more money than she had expected.

“Because of the delays and constant cancellations, I had to get more lessons, which was difficult as it was very stop-start and just as I got into the rhythm, things would shut down.

“As well as that, more lessons also meant more money and as a student, driving lessons aren’t particularly cheap.”

Luckily for Elizabeth she had taken an intensive course.

“I was really lucky to have gotten an intensive course as it meant that my test was organised and booked for me as part of the fee, there are lots of people who are ready to take their test but can’t get a date, I was just very fortunate to have found a course which helped me out.

“I ended up sitting my test in August 2021, a year after I had originally started learning to drive. It was lovely to have finally gotten a test, especially with three lockdowns’ worth of people waiting for theirs, not to mention all those who wanted to start learning.

“Because of the date I was given and the lack of choice around times, I had to take the time off work, which was irritating, but I was just happy to have a slot.”

She feels the delays had heightened the pressure for her to pass.

“When it came to the test, it felt like there was even more pressure than usual because if I was to fail, I’d have to wait so long to sit it again.

“My driving instructor told me that he had some pupils who had sat their test in April and didn’t manage to pass and they couldn’t get another test until June.”

Frustrations are high for both learners and instructors; I was also hit by these extensive delays.

Back in 2020, wanting to pick up some driving practice after a long hiatus from lessons two years prior and with a severe lack of lesson availability, I was fortunate enough to have access to a car of my own, in which I was able to gain experience with friends and family.

However, despite being able to bypass waits for driving instructors, I was still unable to secure a driving test in the near future. Looking to book back in January, nearby availability was only as soon as June.

But what if someone was unable to bypass these lengthy driving lesson waits and wanted to start driving from scratch? How long would it take?

Taking into account lesson waiting times, the average number of lessons required and delays for tests, a newly starting learner would be unlikely to pass until the end of the year.

The prospect of such a long wait has led to some learners being forced to purchase services which notify them of new availability due to the cancellation of a test, some of which are charging up to £30 a month for the service.

While Ceredigion certainly isn’t the worst hit by these long delays; Aberystwyth having the fifth shortest waiting time across Wales according to driving news provider ‘heycar’.

However, ripples from all across the country are being felt in the area as learners all over the UK look further afield for the chance to sit their test.

One Twitter user wrote: “I moved my driving test from London to Wales because I can’t get a test date in the next four months here.”

Another said: “I might have to book my driving test in Wales because there is zero availability here.”

And these booking are being felt across the county as driving instructor Steve Griffiths told the Cambrian News: “There’s an app that learners are using which tells them where the soonest test availability is.

“We’re discouraging our students from using it but we’ve had calls from London, Manchester and South Wales asking for lessons because they’ve managed to book a test here, while it might mean that a select few are getting their test, it just pushes everyone else back.”

Despite discouragement from instructors, a spokesperson for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) told the Cambrian News: “We are encouraging that people travel for their test, not over hundreds of miles, but some travel is recommended to get a test.”

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as though these delays will end any time soon.

Driving insurance and advice company, Marmalade, estimates that the current backlog of tests “won’t end until 2024”. However, it said that “the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is working hard to reduce the backlog”.

The DVSA has announced a number of changes it is making in order to help reduce waiting times being experienced by learners.

Some of these changes include practical test booking systems increasing car test throughput by 25 percent. Currently a recruitment drive is being implemented across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The number of practical driving tests that each driving examiner can oversee has been increased from five to six per day and flexible working patterns have been introduced to allow tests on weekends and bank holidays.

Despite these changes, Marmalade CEO Crispin Moger has said learner drivers have been consistently impacted as a result of the pandemic and the 2020/21 lockdowns.

“We have seen the biggest ever backlog in access to driving tests and for many this will have set them back quite considerably in their journey to getting on the road or perhaps even ended it for some.

“The DVSA has said it is offering overtime to examiners and rolling out a recruitment drive to increase capacity, while also closing down test centres across the UK as well as we’ve seen recently in the likes of Manchester and Shropshire.

“Our recent survey of learner drivers across the UK found that 77 per cent of learners cite the extra cost of more lessons as the biggest frustration in the delay for tests, followed by delaying independence and freedom among others.

“With this in mind, we’d encourage learners to forward plan as much as they can, also considering private practice with a family member to supplement lessons to help ensure they are ready when the big day comes.”

Marmalade has also found that on average, learners in the backlog will have eight additional lessons in order to remain “test ready”. At an average of £31.15 per lesson, the added expense to a learner across the UK is around £249.20.

Despite attempts to reduce waiting times, some proposals from the DVSA have been criticised; in particular, a proposal that will see learners have to wait 28 days to rebook their test following a failed attempt.

Loveday Ryder, chief executive of the DVSA said: “We are doing all we can to provide as many tests as possible so we can get our services back to normal. I know learners will be keen to take their test now, but it is important that they are properly prepared for their test and don’t take it before they are ready.”

Many have questioned whether these proposals will make any change to the current state of driving test delays. There are fears that, due to lesson availability, many learners will be unable to access any further experience or advice within this 28-day waiting period, leading to further wasted test bookings.

On top of this, the message from the DVSA is of discouragement, attempting to make learners “think twice” before booking or attempting their test and I believe this could be incredibly damaging.

Facing consistent delays and setbacks can be incredibly harmful to a learner’s confidence in their ability on the road. In my own experience, these difficulties led to a severe drop in self-belief and even a fear of getting back on the road.

As such, while a message of discouragement from the DVSA has the possibility of lowering wait times, I fear it could also cause some learners to put off their driving test indefinitely.

And these fears should not only be held by learners; the effect these delays and sentiments of discouragement could be felt across the country in years to come. For many, driving is integral to work, be it taxis, community doctors and even ambulances; drivers are a necessity.

If delays are inevitable, what can be done to ensure young people are able to travel?

While measures should continue to try and limit delays as much as possible, public transport should become a priority for councils across the country. Trains and busses should ensure that learners are able to travel to work, school and social occasions until they are able to access a driving test.

But what can you do?

When it comes to driving tests, there isn’t much that can be done by the public, however, drivers can ensure that they are patient with learners when they are on the road.

Unsurprisingly, there is currently an increased presence of learner vehicles on the road and not only are some learners brand new to driving, many are returning following a long hiatus which has led to a lack of confidence and familiarity on the road.

On behalf of learners across the country, your patience would be greatly appreciated as we continue our journey to a full license.