Britain’s driving test backlog eased last month but remains nearly three times larger than before the coronavirus pandemic.
See also: LTNs, bots and scams - why Londoners can't get a driving test anymore
Some 621,230 future practical driving tests were booked as of the end of July, according to new Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) figures.
That is down from 656,649 a month earlier, but is compared with 219,786 at the end of February 2020 before the Covid-19 crisis.
The number of tests taken rose from 158,413 in June to 170,822 in July, while the pass rate remained at least 50% for the fourth consecutive month for the first time since June 2021.
Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: “The latest figures for practical driving tests suggest the faintest glimmer of hope for learner drivers stuck in the lengthy queue for their own test slot.
“With over 170,000 tests conducted in July, 6,000 more candidates achieved the required standard than in the previous month, and the pass rate was a shade over 50%.
“Maybe more learners are putting the waiting time to good use by getting in some extra practice.
“For the first time in months the test backlog has declined but is still almost three times what it was pre-Covid.
“For all the work DVSA is doing to recruit more examiners, it’s clear there are no quick fixes to the unacceptable waiting times that persist in many parts of the country.”
The DVSA attributes the backlog to an increase in demand and some people booking their test much earlier than before.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said in April the Labour Government “inherited an enormous backlog” but was “acting fast” to tackle the issue, with at least 10,000 extra tests to be available each month.
She told the Commons’ Transport Select Committee her department aimed to reduce the average waiting time for driving tests in Britain to seven weeks by summer 2026.
The figure was 22.3 weeks as of the end of June.
The Government recently consulted on amending the driving test booking system, in an attempt to stop bots mass-booking new slots so they can be resold on the black market for inflated prices.
Other measures in response to the backlog include instructing the DVSA to offer additional overtime payments as an incentive to encourage instructors to conduct more tests.
Staff at the agency qualified to conduct tests are also being asked to voluntarily return to the front line, while the number of permanent trainers for new examiners is being doubled.
The DVSA was approached for a comment.
A recent report commissioned by the agency suggested test candidates should be asked if they would like their examiner to be “chatty” or “formal” to boost female pass rates.
Transport research group TRL, which proposed the measure, said it would avoid examiners creating “potential anxiety”.
Records dating back to 2007 show males are more likely to pass the test than females.
