Here, a driving instructor and three students share how they’ve been affected.
“I have been in contact with driving instructors for a year now”
Chiedema Chogudusa Photo: Chiedema Chogudusa Chiedza Chogugudza had been looking for a driving instructor for well over a year. The 24-year-old molecular biology research analyst passed her theory test in April 2021 and found a tutor at the same time, but only completed four hours of practice before contracting Covid, leading the tutor to give her place to another student. “Now I can’t get a single trainer to answer me and I’ve contacted so many trainers and schools I’ve lost count,” says Chogugudza, who lives in Richmond-upon-Thames, adding that she found booking a trial “basically impossible ». When she passed her theory test last year, she never thought she could expire before getting her license. The situation is made worse by the fact that she has no family or friends nearby who could teach her to drive. “It’s frustrating,” he says, adding that the cost of the courses rises with fuel prices. “It’s only going to get more expensive. Average rates have risen from £28 an hour last summer to £35+.”
“Spent £530 on test slots”
Like other learners in London, when Nino Shankischvili, 34, tried to book her driving test earlier this year, she was unable to find places at local test centres. “It was a nightmare,” he says. Shankischvili holds a Georgian driving license and had to take the practical test to get a UK licence. Then a driving instructor she had taken a few lessons with told her he had a slot in a few days and it would cost £170. “I wasn’t sure what he meant at first, but then I found out that apparently trainers can mass [book] test dates and then resell them,” he says. “I really didn’t want to pay that much money, but I needed permission because we have a newborn baby.” Shankischvili took her first test in mid-March, but failed. When she contacted the trainer, she was told the price had risen to £180. “It was like prices went up because of what’s going on around the world,” he says. “When I went to check the website it still said £62. I really needed my license, so I turned a blind eye to these terrible prices.” Shankischvili passed on her third attempt in April, having paid £530 in hold test slots.
“My driving school has closed its waiting list”
Craig Preedy Photo: Craig Preedy Driving instructor Craig Preedy, 54, says the delay has forced him to close the waiting list at his driving school as they cannot guarantee anyone new will start until 2023. In Hereford, where he teaches, the waiting time is up to in mid-December , with short-notice tests being “cut out” by booking applications that have appeared in response to the backlog. “What we’re getting is people are booking driving tests before they’ve even taken a driving lesson. So they will pass their theory, [book a test] using an app… maybe in September and we expect you’ll be able to get them ready by that point in time,” he says. “I think the DVSA is not putting as much of a clamp on these applications perhaps as they claim, because there are still students taking exams too quickly.” Tougher action should also be taken against trainers who sell trial slots at inflated prices, he argues. Preedy predicts the impasse will have unintended consequences. “It’s a crisis of the future in terms of the need for paramedics, postmen, delivery drivers, truck drivers, fire engine drivers, police officers – all of these will have a negative effect.”
“The whole situation is incredibly stressful”
Eleanor Harrison Photo: Eleanor Harrison For 41-year-old Eleanor Harrison, not being able to drive has made going to school with her five-year-old son difficult. She says the walk home from school – 40 minutes normally but sometimes close to two hours with a toddler – is “lovely in the summer” but a nightmare in the winter: “Walking in the cold and dark with an asthmatic child is It’s not great,” says Harrison, who works part-time in an administrative role in social care, explaining that her husband and a “kind neighbour” have “put something together” for the morning school run. Harrison estimates she has spent “over £3,000 on lessons”. She started learning to drive before the pandemic but wasn’t ready to take her test before the UK’s first lockdown in 2020. She booked a test for February 2022 but contracted Covid. The earliest the next slot could close was July. “The whole situation is incredibly stressful,” she says, explaining that she feels “so much pressure to get through before winter.” Harrison adds: “Also, I think if I don’t pass it will be months before I can get another appointment and my theory test might be over and I’ll have to retake it. I feel the least the DVLA could do is extend the theory test period as a goodwill gesture.’
“I see my 14 month old much less than I should”
Despite starting driving lessons in September 2020, Matt Kneale, a 30-year-old doctor in Manchester, still does not hold a license after the DVSA canceled his practical test three times. This has been particularly difficult since becoming a father 14 months ago, he explains: “Not being able to drive means I can’t make the nursery drop-off or pick-up, but I also can’t easily drive home from the late ones shifts [as there’s] no public transport. This means I have to regularly stay on call at the hospital and see my child far less than I should.” Kneale is now at the point where he would consider paying a higher price for a trial slot. “I’m thinking hard about whether I can book some annual leave,” he says. He highlights the impact the pendency is having on his family, saying he has spent “maybe two-thirds of his [his] away from home for the last three months.” “It must take a toll on relationships and mental health because you lose valuable time and it puts pressure on your other half to pick up the slack.”
