More than 6,000 people waiting for a driving test at Cork centres

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has said that two driving test centres in Cork are among those with the shortest waiting times nationwide.

According to figures published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), there were 6,010 driving test applicants waiting for a test across all Cork driving test centres at the end of last month.

This includes 3,327 applicants waiting for a test at Wilton, 1,319 at Mallow, 510 at Skibbereen, 450 at Mitchelstown, and 404 waiting at Ballincollig.

Despite efforts made by the RSA to reduce lengthy waiting times for prospective driving test takers, this figure represents only a small decrease on the 6,481 applicants waiting at the end of November, the date by which the government promised to streamline the delivery of tests across the country.

The figure revealed at the end of April also represents a slight increase on the 5,923 applicants waiting for a test in Cork at the end of March.

Average waiting time

Speaking to The Echo, a spokesperson for the RSA said that the national average waiting time for a driving test stood at 11.9 weeks at the end of April, with some Cork centres coming in below average.

“This compares with a high of 27 weeks at the end of April last year,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the Service Level Agreement stipulates a maximum waiting time of 10 weeks. 

That has increased in recent weeks mainly due to a 25% increase in driving test applications during January and February, compared to last year.”

“At nine weeks, Mitchelstown and Skibbereen, along with Shannon, are the test centres with the shortest waiting times nationally.

“The Mitchelstown driving test centre opened to learner drivers in December and is providing additional capacity in Cork. It is also reducing pressure in other Cork centres, particularly Mallow.”