Frustrations mount over lengthy delays in driver's licence testing

Booking a road test for a driver's licence is getting harder to do in the Halifax area.

Getting an appointment with an examiner in the Halifax Regional Municipality can now take up to three months.

"We want to get their road test booked the second they are eligible or the second they are ready for it and it's just not possible," said Jake McKenna, owner of McKenna's Driving School in Dartmouth.

"Getting that date with the province is the No. 1 hardest thing we're trying to do right now."

Nova Scotians with a learner's licence have to go to Access Nova Scotia for an official road test to advance to the next level in the graduated system.

No waiting list

Not only is there a delay in getting appointments, there is no waiting list for them either.

McKenna said that creates an added pressure to pass since it could be months before another opportunity is available.

With the longest delays in the Halifax area, some are venturing outside the area to take road tests. The delays can be slightly shorter in communities like Truro, Windsor and Kentville.

McKenna said the province needsmore examiners to ease the backlog. He said at a minimum an organized waiting list should be implemented to guarantee a spot.

"I know parents, students, instructors and even the examiners, I know they are frustrated too, because they are taking a lot of heat over this and they're certainly overworked," he said.

The province admits there is an issue with delays, particularly in the Halifax area.

A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal said a new examiner is now being trained and two other positions have been posted.

In the meantime, some examiners in the metro area have been working Saturdays.

Despite no waiting lists, applicants can ask to be placed on the call-back list if a new appointment becomes available.

MORE TOP STORIES