Learner driver from Aldershot 'anxious and frustrated' due to lack of driving tests
ITV News Meridian's Mel Bloor has been speaking to a learner driver who is struggling to book a test.
A learner driver says she feels anxious and frustrated due to the lack of availability in driving tests.
Siobhan Routledge, from Aldershot, Hampshire, had her last driving test in November 2023 and failed due to the amount of pressure she felt to pass.
She has been taking lessons for nearly two years and has not been able to find any tests in centres close to her.
Since this, she has rebooked a test fourteen months after her first attempt, in Crawley, Sussex, over an hour drive away.
Siobhan Routledge, who is a hairdresser, says she is not the only going through this.
Siobhan said: "There are loads of people in my situation, some in even worse circumstances than me.
"You have to rely on cancellations, but when someone has a test, they are going to want to keep it"
Siobhan fears that her personal life and career have taken a back seat, as not being able to drive has affected what she is able to do.
"It is restricting me from doing a lot more in my career because I want to go out and do more wedding and event hair, and I cannot do that because I cannot drive," she said
"I have a wedding booked in a couple of weeks but I have got to get the train there and someone from the wedding has got to pick me up from the station, which is an inconvenience to them.
"People say 'just get a bus, train or walk', but bus and transport fares are ridiculous prices, and it would end up that half of my wages would go onto that."
In 2020, statistics from RAC show that only 220,000 people passed their driving test, compared to the 750,000 who pass on a regular year.
Because of this, the DVSA are playing catch up to get through the backlog, which included administering 2 million tests in 2023.
However, this has led to test touters who use bots to scroll through booking system as soon as tests go live, snapping up the tests and selling them on for up to £200.
With this, DVSA have been working to shut down these businesses, having closed over 700.
MP Peter Swallow speaking about the issue in Parliament
Peter Swallow, MP for Bracknell, led a debate in Parliament on Driving Test Delays and the shortage of test centres for people to be able to take their test.
His constituency doesn't have a testing centre, and is a town of 120,000 people, so hopeful students have to travel to Reading and Farnborough to find their next closest site, with Slough and Chertsey not far behind them
MP Peter Swallow, said: "It is a massive issue. We all remember that feeling of liberation and freedom of passing our test - but that is being taken away for so many young people. They are waiting far too long to get a test.
"This has been going on for years and it’s about time something is done on it."
Chris Riley, an instructor from Bracknell, agrees with this and says that he has had to turn away aspiring learners as he needs to keep space for those pre-existing, who were unsuccessful last time around.
"I have to keep a space available for them in six months time but in the meantime, I have to replace them so it can create a bit of an issue with us potentially being overloaded with potential pupils.
"From the pupils point of view, it’s very frustrating to try and get the test, number one, and it can affect their employment, their access to college."
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...