The government has given the go ahead for the hiring of 75 new driving testers in order to tackle the massive backlog of driving tests nationwide.
The new hires will bring the total number of testers employed by the RSA up to over 200, and are currently expected to be in place by October of this year.
The RSA then expects to have the backlog in tests brought back to target customer service levels by the end of the first quarter of 2024.
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said, “These additional testers will enable the RSA to begin reversing the growing backlog.”
“It is important to recognise that there are no quick fixes or easy solutions, but my department will continue to keep the situation under review.”‘
In 2022 the number of applications for driving tests was 21% higher than in the previous year, and 27% higher than pre-pandemic numbers in 2018.
The current demand for driving tests has a number of contributory factors, including: an increase in application volumes, with more learners applying for and becoming eligible to take their driving test since the start of 2022.
There are also more people taking the Driver Theory Test, and an increase in Advanced Driving Instructors’ and their capacity to deliver lessons to learner drivers.
Sam Waide, CEO of the Road Safety Authority said, “I welcome this decision by the Ministers and would like to thank my colleagues for their support and dedication over this challenging period.”
“Our team have worked very hard to support applicants during this busy time. We look forward to working with these new staff to bring our Driver Testing service to normal levels.”
The open recruitment campaign went live on Tuesday. Once the recruitment process is complete, training will commence with successful candidates and new driver testers will begin testing in October.
