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FIVE DRIVING TEST centres will have no dedicated testers until at least September, according to the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
The figures come as the number of drivers waiting to receive an invitation to book their driving test has surpassed 100,000.
The RSA figures were published during a Joint Oireachtas Transport Committee hearing this morning, where a regional breakdown of driver tester deployment across the country in January, May, and projected for September of this year was revealed.
Five sites had no assigned testers last month, and will have no assigned testers in September. These include:
It is still possible to book tests at all of these testing centres.
Tester placements are determined by regional demand and existing application
backlogs, according to the RSA.
This means that testers can be deployed to a number of different sites, meaning sites with no dedicated testers can still operate driving tests at a reduced capacity.
By the 25 May, there were 152 driver testers working across the country. The RSA has announced plans to expand this figure to 182 by the end of July, and then 200 by early September.
By September, The RSA plans to have increased the amound of dedcicated testers at 22 testing centres, and plans to operate several new testing centres – including one in Co Louth, and one in south Dublin.
The RSA also revealed today that there are 102,130 learner drivers waiting to receive an invitation to book their test – of these, 19,461 learner drivers are scheduled to take a driver test in the coming weeks.
22,046 driver testing slots have been opened this month, up from from 17,391 in April.
At the end of May, the national average time to invite for a test was 20.6 weeks.
The RSA announced today that its key measures to boost testing capacity include accelerated training of new testers through the use of additional training facilities, as well as a revised approach to training and enabling early deployment of new testers to centres.
RSA CEO Sam Waide apologised for the delay faced by learner drivers, telling the Transport Committee hearing this morning that he recognises the “ongoing frustration regarding driving test wait times and the wider customer experience”.
“I want to acknowledge that, and to apologise to you and your constituents for that frustration from the outset,” Waide said.
“This is not a situation any of us consider acceptable and I welcome this dialogue as a
chance to outline the actions we are taking to address these challenges and improve
the service we provide to the public.”
He added that for many peope driving “is not a luxury”, and is a requirement for employment, education and carign responsibilities.
“We are steadfast in our dedication to reduce the average waiting time to 10 weeks or
lower by early September 2025,” Waide said.
“This isn’t just a target – it’s a national imperative – and one the RSA is fully committed to delivering.”
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