With driving test waiting times hitting three months in Oswestry, North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson has promised to meet driving instructors to aid their fight to reduce waiting times in the town. What, if anything, is Paterson going to do?
Branded an ‘outstation’, Oswestry’s driving test centre is notorious for keeping learner drivers waiting when it comes to taking their driving exam. As recently as August 2017, wannabe drivers faced a three-month wait. To add insult to injury, the driving test waiting time in Wrexham was a mere six weeks.
While things have improved since the turn of the year, Oswestry’s learner motorists still face a 10-week wait, while Wrexham has slashed its waiting list to three-weeks. For some motorists, while waiting to take their driving test, the exam has completely changed following the launch of a new look test on 4 December, 2017.
What can Mr Paterson do about driving test waiting times in Oswestry?
Paterson had been due to meet with the Oswestry Driving Instructors’ Group (ODIG) prior to Christmas, but it was cancelled as Shropshire was hit with heavy snowfall.
He said: “We are trying to reschedule the meeting because three months is a long time to have to have waited. I want to learn more from the Oswestry driving instructors and I will meet them as soon as possible.”
The ODIG had initially contacted the DVSA to express its concerns over practical driving test waiting times becoming lengthier. Typically, a DVSA spokesperson came out with the usual spiel when the agency is pushed on driving test waiting times, saying: “The DVSA’s priority is to help people through a lifetime of safe driving.”
Lack of examiners causing driving test delays
It quickly became apparent that Oswestry driving test centre is lacking examiners, which is adding to a growing backlog. The DVSA spokesperson said: “We are currently recruiting for an examiner to bring down waiting times in Oswestry. We continually monitor these waiting times and work towards all of rural Shropshire having easy access to driving tests.”
“Shrewsbury and Wrexham driving test centres continue to offer driving tests with considerably shorter waiting times,” the spokesperson added…
…That’s great, but the problem is at Oswestry and right now, having had no meeting, Mr Paterson is powerless to do anything about the situation. For the foreseeable future, driving test waiting times in the town are likely to remain at around 10 weeks.
With that in mind, why not contact Book Theory Test Today to handle your driving test booking? Our ‘cancellation finder’ service could secure you a driving test in Oswestry at an earlier date.
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