To ask how the f*ck you are meant to learn to drive these days?

[trapperjohna]

My 19 year old’s test has been cancelled 3 times by the test centre, and that’s post Covid restrictions! It went from December to March to June to August! She’s given up now, has thrown in the towel and is getting rid of her car. She wants to go travelling but was postponing it to get her driving license first (she doesn’t need one for the travelling but she wanted to get it out of the way). She’s sick of waiting. Lessons were a shitshow as well, she got a pisstaker who had her doing left and right turns 8 lessons in even though by this point she was proficient in doing dual carriageways and major roundabouts with her stepdad. She originally got him through a company and he was great but then he went self-employed, upped his prices and seemed to be deliberately not progressing her and started hounding her to book lessons with him. But nobody else had availability.

DD knows of a lad that’s booked a test in some obscure town on the south coast where his grandparents live to get it done ASAP as they had more availability and he’s going to spend the week down there with his grandparents to learn the area and prepare. We are in fucking Liverpool!

DSS is 17 and apparently kids at his college are trying to sell their tests to each other at inflated prices! What is going on?

Not to sound like a nutter, but at this point in starting to wonder if it’s a government conspiracy to combat air pollution!

I feel for you and your DD.

My DD has been learning since December (booked and instructor in May of last year, sent off licence application in July so she could start when she turned 17 in September. Eventually got her licence end of November).

She and DN (not local to us) both passed their theory tests in Feb...DD has her practical booked mid-August but DN was told the wait in her area was 2.5 years so is going to stay with another family member to take hers.

We've had other issues with cars/lessons and tbh having been really excited for her it's been so stressful I almost wish she hadn't wanted to learn.

Have you tried one of the cancellation apps? Basically you pay a fee (around £20) to join and as long as you already have a test booked you can get the app to look for cancellations at your chosen test centre.

My daughter has been using Driving Test Cancellations 4All which is a pretty good one as you only have to pay a one off joining fee and you can use it as often as you need to.

She had to cancel hers twice as her old instructor kept letting her down. It is currently booked for some time in September in Edinburgh - we live in the Peak District!!!! As soon as her new instructor tells her she is ready she will go back on the app and get it to look for the soonest test at her chosen test centre. She has used the app twice so far and it has found her a test date within a couple of hours.

My dd has lessons and passed , her instructor was brilliant and sorted it out for us . I wouldn't let your dd throw in the towel after paying out all that money already as I wouldn't let my dd !

It seems to have got worse then? My DS took his test in July last year, passed his theory in April. His first test was booked for the Dec in some random place miles away. Gradually got a test nearer but he ended up doing his test 40 miles away in a place he’d never driven before. Basically he was very determined and luckily passed first time. It is cr@p though

DS downloaded an app for £20 which allows you to book in cancelled tests.

Totally does not sit right with me but otherwise he'd have to wait until September.

Yes it's rubbish, long waits for a test, if you fail it's months before you can get another one and if you fail more than 2-3 times there's a risk your theory test certificate will run out and you'll have to resit theory test.
Driving tests are still terminating as soon as you fail, so even though covid restrictions are lifted so don't even get full test experience.

Use restinapp and possibly try one of the centers a little further away. My DS was lucky passed 1st time having moved his test in Feb to May last year the minute BJ said lockdown. His friends have failed and several have had cancellation in Preston quickly. Its under and hour from Liverpool....

• testi app

I’m 32 (embarrassing I know) and started learning just before covid. All got cancelled obviously, waste of money. Tried to pick it back up but no instructors taking drivers, literally up to 7 month waiting list. Moved to a new town and even now trying to start again, waiting list is over 6 months for lessons and paying over £65 for 2 hours. Makes me wonder if I can even be bothered!

No idea. We were trying to buy lessons for DSD recently. The only place that would even put her on a waiting list was Red Driving School and that was a minimum of 12 weeks. None of the other big schools (BSM etc) in our area are taking on. I contacted 10 or more independent instructors and not a single one had capacity for new students. It’s crazy. DS, on the other hand, has passed. He had a lot of difficulties booking lessons and ended up taking the test in a town about 30 mins away that he wasn’t as familiar with. If he’d done it in our town it was a 6 month wait, there is was only about 2 months.

My nephew had his test booked for April 2020, but Covid meant it was cancelled. He had more lessons and got his theory test, but then his instructor decided to jack it in and he hasn't been able to find another one.

He's going to college in the US in September, and hopes to get his licence there. Then when he gets back, he'll be able to drive for a year on that while he gets a UK test.

I remember how pissed off I was after I failed my test and had to wait nearly a year for another one, but this palaver is an utter shitshow.

Total nightmare and I don't see it getting any better. My DD had her theory cancelled 6+ times during the second lockdown.

Trying to sort out her test date was torture. Both of us was logging onto to the website at random times to see if we could secure a date.
Thankfully a date popped up last Summer and she managed to pass before heading off to uni. Honestly it was such a relief.

Book through speedytests.co.uk. it's a rebooking service so you do need a booking somewhere. I booked one for Tottenham and then signed up for a rebooking within 3 weeks in my local one. You do need to pay for the premium as it automatically rebooks you.

DD started learning September 21 and booked her test for a centre about 60 miles away from home for June this year as none available at our local centre. She then got the Testi app and got a cancellation for the local centre beginning of April, thankfully got through first time.

I live in Norfolk and back when we were all taking our tests (18 years ago… how the fuck does that happen???) everyone picked Boston for quick turnaround
maybe your DD can look for test centres further afield but maybe not south coast (unless that is actually convenient)

I did mine 2 years ago right before lockdown. I think it was the day before it was announced. It got cancelled 5 times before I had a definate date. But I asked specifically for an instructor who was okay for me to not wear a face covering due to asd and sensory disorders. When I got to the test centre, they demanded I was to wear one otherwise they refuse to let me sit my test. He was verbally insulting and stated that I was selfish and my disability wasn't real. Honestly it was so traumatising I regret putting myself through it but I'm glad I did it when I did as the waiting lists are 6+ months long now. Someone I know has been on the waiting list for a test since last January.

I'm surprised so many people, such as BalloonsAndWhistles don't know about driving lessons being hard to book. Everyone round here knows that you need to book ahead. I approached driving instructions in September to book availability to start in Feb.

Glad I stumbled on this thread. DS 20 can't even get driving lessons! he's had 5 here, 3 there, but the instructor keeps cancelling lessons. He started lessons in 2019 but wasted so much time and then the pandemic hit. Now he can't even get the lessons. He did his 1st theory in 2019 and passed. then it expired. This yr we thought it'd be best to bulk book lessons and do an intensive course so he booked one and paid over £500 upfront. Lessons supposed to start Feb of this yr, then they called to say instructor has left and they're assigning a new one who can't start till March. March comes and DS checks with the new instructor just to make sure everything is okay. Can't get hold of him then receives a text from instructor telling him he's on holiday and not sure he can do the lessons (that are scheduled to start the following Monday!). DS called the driving school who assign yet another instructor who is not available till June! in the meantime DS has resat his theory back in Feb and passed. He has now asked for his money back. Test all booked for August and no lessons and can't find an instructor.

It’s like most government agencies: fucked

I think it's easier to look at it this way - what IS functioning correctly in the UK at present? Pretty much sod all. Covid has been a fantastic excuse for all manner of failing services and organisations.

Seems like everything these days, impossible to actually talk to someone, cancelling at last minute. Backlog due to covid for everything so 19 year old now are finally doing their tests from 2 years ago. Sadly just the way it is for a while yet. As for trying to actually see your doctor, we'll, have given up and causes me anxiety just trying to get through. X

Urgh tell me about it! DS started lessons in 2019. Was due to take his practical test in March 2020... obviously that didn't happen and it got moved so many times. Then he had to resit his theory last year because it expired. He eventually did his test, failed, couldn't rebook for months but managed to get a cancellation for December, failed again, has a test booked for next month! It has cost a fortune and who knows if he'll pass next time. Bloody Covid!

Indeed! The number of times trying to speak to someone and the message 'due to ... absolutely no one will ever answer your call as they are wfh, which should mean they have more time but really it will take you about 72 days of ringing'. Apologies being so sarcastic but just feels like it. Like many others I have been physically leaving the house, working with others, no chance of ignoring calls, customers, clients. Rant over! X

I feel for you OP. I passed my driving test earlier this year... after months of agonizing, a fail and scrambling to get a test.
It's shit!
However I haven't' had a test center consistently cancel tests. Have you tried posting on local forums, Reddit, etc to see whether it has a problem?

Also you don't NEED a driving instructor. Your DD is proficient so just take the test in your own car, use cancellation apps.

Btw I'm in the NW and I noticed some tests centres consistently had space. All near Liverpool. Widnes for example.
Wonder if this is why? They're all 'bad' so avoided by people who know what they're doing.

The worst part is the money, and I can understand your frustration. I must've spend 2K at least (no private practice), and I work somewhere with bad public transport. A 20 min drive vs 2 hours journey with bus/train changes(if it's on time... which it never is, and I end up needing a taxi anyway. If I can get a taxi).