‘It’s nearly impossible’: learner drivers on the difficulty of booking a test
“Every time I was looking for a test day, it just kept kicking me off the site,” said Menelik Calvin, 22, detailing the difficulties he experienced when trying to secure a driving test in Wolverhampton.It’s the day before Calvin’s driving test and he’s feeling “nervous” but “ready” as he practises for this sought-after test with driving instructor Donna Michelle Evans.Here, in Wolverhampton, notoriously long wait times are common, and as such it is one of the worst places in the UK to take a driving test.Based on analysis from Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, using figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) 2023-24, the average wait time for a test is 19.92 weeks, with a pass rate of 33.
9%.In an effort to address the backlog, the government has pledged to add thousands more driving exams each month.After taking 29 lessons with Evans and 20 before that elsewhere, Calvin said it took almost three months to find an available test date.The DVSA does offer guidance for individuals attempting to navigate the site when booking a test.It’s a similar situation for Calvin’s friends as learner drivers can wait months for an available slot.
“They’re just really upset that they can’t even find a test,” he said,“They’ve put so many hours into practising for their theory, and when it’s time to find a test date: it’s nearly impossible,”For Calvin, it’ll cost £80 to take the test, as well as £62 in additional fees to use his instructor’s car and have a lesson beforehand,For some it will cost a lot more because of a shadow trade of booking bots buying open slots and then selling them on at an inflated rate,Evans, who instructs roughly 30 pupils in the region, stated that the earliest time she can next schedule a test for another learner is in September.
She has heard instances where students have paid £150 for tests elsewhere, when the standard fee was £62.Other factors that contribute to these delays, according to Evans, are the shortages of examiners; sickness of examiners and no one to cover their tests as well as weather conditions on the day.Evans is sceptical of the government’s plans to tackle the backlog.“Who’s going to be doing these tests? They haven’t got enough examiners now,” she said.“So brilliant if they can, but we’ll see.
”Seb Goldin, the chief executive of RED Driver Training welcomed this week’s government announcement.“What they’re doing with the changes around overtime rates and ways of getting more examiners available is brilliant,” he said.Goldin added that booking bots were problematic for two reasons.“It is putting students in a position where they feel that they have to overpay for tests,” he said, but the shortage is also encouraging people to buy tests in advance and then try to prepare for the test date.He strongly advised learners to wait and only book a test when they feel ready to do so.
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No criminal charges to be brought over death of ice hockey player Adam Johnson
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Nat Sciver-Brunt named England Women’s captain and vows to empower team
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Seven straight Six Nations titles is impressive but rivals may have been encouraged by the nervous finish against FranceThere are two contrasting schools of thought after England’s grand-slam clinching win against France on Saturday. According to John Mitchell, the Red Roses’ head coach, his side’s nervy 43-42 victory was ideal preparation for the World Cup this year. Alternatively, as the former England hooker Brian Moore succinctly put it during post-match TV analysis: “If they were playing New Zealand, would they have got away with that?”Between them Mitchell and Moore know plenty about World Cup disappointment. The former was head coach of the All Blacks side beaten in the semi-finals of the 2003 men’s tournament in Australia. Moore was part of the England team edged out by the Wallabies in the final in 1991
Marathon great Des Linden’s last dance: what happens when an 18-year career ends?
One of America’s greatest distance runners is excited about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead after a job she modestly describes as ‘cushy’There is no better word to describe Des Linden’s 18-year professional career than consistent. No matter the race, weather, or competition, she always showed up with her best – and the results back it up. A two-time Olympian, winner of the 2018 Boston Marathon, and world record-holder in the 50k, Linden is one of America’s greatest ever distance runners. But like any good thing, her career can’t last for ever.“This will be my last time racing Boston in the professional field,” Linden said a few weeks before this year’s race
Jofra Archer’s form and swagger is back. Can he bloom for England again? | Jonathan Liew
This season, in an attempt to distract everyone from the fact that its main sponsors are one of the world’s largest steel companies and the literal state of Saudi Arabia, the Tata Indian Premier League has been planting trees for every dot ball bowled during the tournament. At the post‑match presentation, the bowler who delivered the most dot balls in the game is awarded a ceremonial sapling. Which means that on four occasions this season – the most of any player – Jofra Archer has been contractually obliged to receive a small tree on live television.The first time Archer gets his sapling, he eyes it with the kind of narrow-eyed suspicion any of us might exhibit. By the time he gets his fourth sapling – 10 dot balls against Delhi Capitals, 180 trees planted – he’s basically a pro at this
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