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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

The driving test booking system is an utter shambles isn't it?

79 replies

shrinkwrappt · 06/04/2022 21:25

DS has been learning to drive for nearly a year and failed his driving test for the second time yesterday. The examiner told him he's a good driver, but he made one mistake that she couldn't overlook, so that's fair enough. He had been lucky to get that test slot - it was a cancellation from his instructor, and the first offered since his previous test in January (when he also failed for a single mistake, ironically one which stopped being a mistake when the Highway Code changed a week later). So he has been unlucky, and hopefully will pass next time. But next time is potentially a long way off. The only test he was able to book when we looked today is in mid-September, and 300 miles away near his grandparents house. So, fingers are crossed for an earlier cancellation closer to home. We were already signed up for the Testi app, which gives cancellation alerts, but found it useless - too many people chasing too few cancellations. Today I tried the DrivingTestCancellations4All app but they're so swamped that they have a waiting list. The DVSA really need to add capacity to the testing system, or their backlog will never be cleared. Sad

OP posts:
Kinneddar · 06/04/2022 21:28

The DVSA really need to add capacity to the testing system, or their backlog will never be cleared

Its not that easy though. My cousin is an examiner. He worked through large parts of lockdown & is working ridiculous hours. He's based in Glasgow but has been sent to Aberdeen & Newcastle to help with backlogs. They just don't have the examiners to open up extra slots

Menora · 06/04/2022 21:28

It’s insane. DD booked a test a year from now in a town she’s never been to. I don’t know if she will ever find a local one

Menora · 06/04/2022 21:30

@Menora

It’s insane. DD booked a test a year from now in a town she’s never been to. I don’t know if she will ever find a local one
Not a year from now. It’s in August 🤣 she booked it last year
Muchtoomuchtodo · 06/04/2022 21:31

Oh heck. This sounds a mess. Ds will be 17 in a few months time. I thought we were doing well getting his provisional licence through already but this sounds like a shit show.

Can they do their theory as soon as they’ve turned 17 and then book a practical test asap immediately after that?

MermaidSwimming · 06/04/2022 21:32

DD booked yesterday for mid may, we are in Cornwall. I know there were major backlogs last summer but seems ok at the moment

Tomnooktoldmeto · 06/04/2022 21:35

Use the driving test now app, ok it costs but it bots and books test the instant they become available. We booked one yesterday and got an offer of one in 2 weeks tonight

MintyGreenDream · 06/04/2022 21:35

You should have more luck if you check literally every chance you get.I had the booking page on my phone and checked constantly I soon got a cancellation.

itsmehere1 · 06/04/2022 21:56

I can absolutely recommend www.shortnoticetests.com which helped my partner and his friend book very quickly this year in high demand test centres. They actually put your driving test on hold for your confirmation, all you need to say is yes or no on text/call. Hope this helps.

BlackAndPinkNose · 06/04/2022 22:01

We used SpeedyTest - £20. You can set it to autobook for you or it will text you when a cancellation comes up - you can set date, time and location parameters. It got DD about 8 earlier test dates.

Rainbowx · 06/04/2022 22:06

I had to get up 6am on a Monday to get in first spent 2 hours refreshing booked one,a bit too far then went straight back on it to change place another 30 mins of refreshing got one for my son,July in our local centre. knackered me but worth it!

Yoloohno · 06/04/2022 22:29

My dad has said it’s august where we are last month, she’s only just 17 and had a couple of hours so far, theory is at the end of the month, if she passes it’ll be straight to booking a practical.

The situation is ridiculous we’ve already had to book lessons until July.

CharityShopChic · 06/04/2022 22:54

DS was 17 a week before the first lockdown in 2020. His driving has been on off on off on off. Passed his theory in June 2021.

Test booked for November 2021. He got Covid. Had to cancel. Rebooked for 10th March. Failed. Next available date? August.

Fucking JOKE. Yes we have the app, yes we leap on every available test but there is such a massive backlog in Glasgow - Scotland is worse than other parts of the UK as we were under restrictions for longer.

Original poster
shrinkwrappt · 07/04/2022 07:36

@itsmehere1

I can absolutely recommend www.shortnoticetests.com which helped my partner and his friend book very quickly this year in high demand test centres. They actually put your driving test on hold for your confirmation, all you need to say is yes or no on text/call. Hope this helps.
I've looked at this one and a couple of things worry me about it. Unlike others, they actually change the test before you've said yes/no to the new time, and it can't be changed back, so you are guaranteed to lose the original slot. If you say no, they carry on searching until they find you another, but as far as I can tell there is no way to express preferences up front to avoid certain dates (which some other apps have). My DS has A levels coming up, so there will definitely be dates to avoid.

The other concern is that they say they have a team of 50 people checking all day long, presumably doing the "I am human" tests that the site presents if you click 'refresh' too often. That strikes me as a very soul-less job and a recipe for modern slavery. Hmm

But the very existence of these apps/companies makes it impossible for individual users to compete, at least in high population areas. Over the last few months they have become the only way to get a test. Sad

OP posts:
Original poster
shrinkwrappt · 07/04/2022 08:30

as far as I can tell there is no way to express preferences up front to avoid certain date

Correction - this is possible, but it's worthingly low-tech - you have to list all the dates you can't do in a text field. It doesn't say you can specify times.

OP posts:
Original poster
shrinkwrappt · 07/04/2022 08:31

*worryingly not worthingly Smile

OP posts:
cheninblanc · 07/04/2022 08:37

We are the same, I've worked out it will have cost £3500 for her to learn to drive as its taken so long just down to the test slots. And that's if she passes of course. I feel really anxious when I think about what has been spent

Original poster
shrinkwrappt · 07/04/2022 08:59

We're no longer spending money on lessons. DS is practising in our car, and will take the test in our car too. At least that means we don't have to work out whether the instructor is available.

OP posts:
balalake · 07/04/2022 09:14

Hope you can find something sooner OP.

Driving tests are not the only aspect of driving and licensing which is a failure, just read all the DVLA threads.

5foot5 · 07/04/2022 09:18

@balalake

Hope you can find something sooner OP.

Driving tests are not the only aspect of driving and licensing which is a failure, just read all the DVLA threads.

The Times did an exposé article recently. Shocking. Absolute mess.
magpumpkin · 07/04/2022 10:17

My DD has a test booked for May but at a test centre not local to us and her instructor will not go to this centre. We have tried to change the centre but of course no other centres are available for this date or any future date. So do we...

  1. Keep this date & test centre and find a local instructor who might have availability and to book her some lessons locally before her test and also on her test date?
  2. Cancel this date & test centre with a hope a local spot becomes available as a cancellation? but with no guarantee.
No idea what to do.
Sh05 · 07/04/2022 14:18

Ds has just taken his test today which he booked in october. His initial date was end of may then he found a cancellation for today. His instructor told him to book as soon as he passed his theory otherwise he'd have had to wait till the end of the year if he'd waited.

BlackAndPinkNose · 07/04/2022 14:29

The whole of the DVLA offering is rubbish. So many huge backlogs cos COVID - it is like they think that they are the only organisation to be affected by it. They should have been recruiting to address the backlog long ago.

Freshprincess · 07/04/2022 14:34

I used the Testi app for DS and always managed to get the date I wanted fairly easily.

I’m trying to do the same for DS2 now and there’s hardly any cancellations coming up at all for the next couple of months.

I’m not sure what’s it’s so much harder at the moment than 3 months tbh.

You have to be lightning quick.

BarnDance · 07/04/2022 14:48

You have to be lightning quick.
Yes, I also used Testi and switched all other notifications off so it my phone made a noise I knew it was a test. All of us had the app.

My dd failed twice so this seemed to take over our lives for months. I was ridiculously pleased when she passed. Our nearest test centre only opens half a day every day. Angry

Dd did the test in our car as coordinating a test date when the instructor was also available was impossible.

The easiest tests to get are the short notice ones where you can't change it.

Franklin12 · 07/04/2022 14:56

This brings back memories. I only got a test for DS because his was cancelled during lockdown so he went to the top of the queue but it was not at the original test centre but beggars cannot be choosers and it was near enough. It was the first test of the day and DS was moaning and groaning but I said take it and you MUST pass it! No pressure on him then!!

I knew this sort of thing would happen after lockdown having been a supplier of government departments for many many years. They are hopeless and cannot arrange anything properly.

They do like to have internal meetings though especially with drinks and sandwiches. They do lots of them to discuss the issues of the day ad naesum. Never really fix problems just have meetings and once an issue is classed as a Special Project - well you have no hope of it being fixed anytime soon.