Long waiting lists at driving test centres and a lack of public transport options are leaving those living in rural areas “seriously disadvantaged” when it comes to travelling around, Senator Victor Boyhan has said.
The Independent senator made the comments after Minister of State with responsibility for road safety Jack Chambers, announced that he has granted approval for the Road Safety Authority (RSA) to recruit 75 additional driving testers.
This will bring the total number of testers in the country to 200. However, Minister Chambers also said that this extra staff is not likely to be in place until October, which means that driving test backlogs will likely continue until then.
“This approval for new testers for the RSA is a positive and proactive response to an ongoing problem within the driver testing service across the state,” he stated.
“By increasing the number of driver testers, the RSA can provide the testing service they are committed to delivering and a quality service each customer deserves.
“I would like to thank the public who have been patient while we manage these demand pressures on the service,” the minister added.
According to RSA CEO Sam Waide, the backlog of applicants for driving tests should return to target customer-service levels by the end of 2024.
“I welcome this decision by the ministers and would like to thank my colleagues for their support and dedication over this challenging period. Our team has worked very hard to support applicants during this busy time.
“We look forward to working with these new staff to bring our driver testing service to normal levels,” said Waide.
But Senator Boyhan has hit out at this and stated that it is leaving those who live outside of big cities somewhat stranded.
“Demand for a driving test is now at an unprecedented level and those living in rural communities without public transport options are seriously disadvantaged by the unacceptable waiting times,” he said.
He said that agricultural communities are particularly impacted by the delays, and that the problem has numerous knock-on impacts.
“Such a situation impacts on transport to third level education, training, placements and employments, not to mention vehicle insurance and the need at all times for an accompanying driver, which is not always a realistic option,” he said.