A fall in the average national waiting time for a driving test to just under 21 weeks has been described by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) as “encouraging early progress”.
The average wait was 20.6 weeks as of May 31st, down from 21.4 the previous week, which the RSA said was “significantly ahead of the forecasted 25 weeks”.
It said the reduction reflected the “pace and focus” with which the RSA had been implementing targeted measures outlined in an action plan.
The plan, published last month after the average wait reached 27 weeks at the end of April, aims to reach its service-level agreement target of 10 weeks by early September.
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That move followed meetings with Minister of State for Transport Seán Canney and repeated criticism in recent years over the backlogs, with 100,000 learners waiting last month.
The waiting time for those booking a driving test varies significantly when broken down by centre, with Tallaght currently having the longest estimated wait of 36 weeks.
Once a learner receives an invitation to book a test, they then choose from appointment slots over the following three to five weeks, according to the RSA.
[ Driving test logjam: how to beat the long waiting timesOpens in new window ]
Learner drivers hoping to book a test in Navan, Co Meath, face a wait of 32 weeks, according to RSA estimates.
The centre in Charlestown, north Dublin currently has the shortest estimated wait at nine weeks, followed by Donegal at 12 weeks.
Measures announced under the action plan include new driving test centres in key areas, which the RSA said are in the final stages of the contracting process.
A spokeswoman said the RSA was not yet in a position to confirm the exact locations of these new centres, “but it’s our hope to have these operational within the coming weeks”.
The time during which tests take place has been extended from 7.25am to 7pm for the last three weeks, while staff worked during the recent bank holiday weekend, when more than 700 tests were scheduled.
While there is still a “considerable journey ahead” to reach the 10-week service-level agreement, Brendan Walsh, the RSA’s chief operations officer said: “We are encouraged by the early indicators of progress.”
