Four new driving examiners are being recruited in Poole after Mid Dorset and North Poole MP Vikki Slade raised concerns about the ongoing driving test backlog affecting young people in the area.
Vikki was contacted by a constituent whose grandson struggled to book a driving test through the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). Despite logging in early, they were left in a queue of more than seventeen thousand people, wrongly flagged as a bot, and eventually unable to secure a test.
Following pressure from Vikki and other MPs, ministers challenged the DVSA, which acknowledged the scale of the problem and confirmed that four new examiners would be recruited for the Poole driving test centre.
Speaking about the announcement, Vikki Slade said that for young people in rural Dorset, learning to drive is often the difference between being able to work and being stuck at home. She added that the DVSA backlog has left many young people in limbo and while the new examiners will help locally, the wider system still needs reform.
Alongside her efforts on driving tests, Vikki has also welcomed a proposal from Parliament’s Transport Committee to provide free bus passes for under-twenty-twos. She argued that introducing the scheme, which already exists in Scotland, would give young people in Dorset more independence and access to opportunities. She said that without the ability to drive or afford bus fares, young people risk being cut off from education, training and work.
Vikki Slade has also urged ministers to reverse the rise in the bus fare cap introduced earlier this year, saying residents who rely on buses for essential journeys such as visiting the doctor or pharmacy are already under pressure.
She concluded that youth mobility is about opportunity and independence and called on the Government to take further action to support the next generation.
