TRANSPORT MINISTER EAMON Ryan has said the approval of 70 additional permanent driving testers will “really put a dent” in the driving test backlog.

This will bring the number of driving testers employed by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) on a permanent basis to 200.

These permanent positions follows the hiring of 75 driver testers on a temporary basis in March 2023 in response to issues that emerged following the COVID pandemic.

A Department of Transport spokesperson said that “following a period of observation and analysis of demands on the service, this sanction of permanent posts will help to ensure that the Driver Testing Service has a sufficient level of permanent testing capacity to meet demand today and in the coming years”.

It’s expected that the first trance of new testers will be trained and ready to work in March.

The Department spokesperson said customers will see improvements in waiting times following this and that the RSA expects to be able to meet service demand later next year as a result.

Applications will be accepted online and the RSA will also hold an open day for potential applicants in a Dublin Driving Test Centre on Saturday, 28 September.  

The application period will run until Thursday, 10 October.

Minister Ryan said that while the RSA increased the number of Driver tests delivered this year by 30%, it’s “not been enough to meet the unprecedented demand driven by our continued growth as a country”.

He acknowledged that the current backlog “is not fair to learner drivers, particularly younger drivers who have been extremely patient”.

He said the 70 additional permanent driver testers will enable the RSA to “really put a dent in the backlog, addressing the issue of long waiting times and also allowing them to address the issue of multiple learner permits”.

Meanwhile, CEO of the RSA Sam Waide described it as a “very positive development” and noted that the “RSA has consistently highlighted the need for more permanent driver testers”.

“It will go a long way towards addressing the challenges we have experienced in meeting increases in demand for driving tests over the past two years,” said Waide, who added that the RSA’s analysis shows that “high demand levels for tests will continue over the coming years”.