The new package of measures follows earlier hearing of the Committee where the head of the DVSA issued a public apology to Ms Mayer after she called for urgent action to get learner drivers on the road faster.
Giving evidence to the Commons’ Transport Select Committee, Secretary of State Heidi Alexander said: “The waiting times that people are experiencing are totally unacceptable.” She announced that 10,000 tests will be unlocked and offered to learners each month, thanks to new measures to tackle the issue to bring average waiting times down to seven weeks by summer 2026.
The package includes:
- Instructing the DVSA to deliver additional overtime incentive payments to everyone delivering extra driving tests - allowing for up to 40 additional tests per examiner each month
- Calling on qualified DVSA staff to return to the frontline to conduct tests
- Doubling the number of permanent trainers for examiners
- Launching a consultation on changes to the booking system to stop bots from snapping up test slots
The Transport Secretary told MPs the plans could result in tens of thousands more tests being delivered this year alone, without additional cost to taxpayers. This new announcement builds on measures on the Government's 7-point plan to drive down waiting times announced over Christmas including hiring hundreds more examiners.
The move comes as test waiting times at Leighton Buzzard test centre have more than doubled, reaching the maximum average of 24 weeks. Similar delays are being reported across the East of England.
Ms Mayer has previously raised the issue in Parliament, including highlighting the case of Kye, a young worker from Dunstable, who was told in 2024 he wouldn’t be able to take a test until December 2025.
Alex Mayer MP said: "I’m glad the Secretary of State has listened to the Transport Committee and taken this issue seriously. For too many young people locally – and right across the country – the rite of passage that is learning to drive has become a costly, confusing and frustrating ordeal. That includes for constituents like Kye, whose story I’ve raised in Parliament. While it’s important we make sure that measures like overtime are managed properly, these are vital steps to get learner drivers moving again. This is parliamentary scrutiny doing what it’s supposed to: standing up for people and driving change.”