Learner drivers face 24-week wait as backlog continues for two more years

Learner drivers face months of delays booking practical tests because a backlog will not be cleared until November 2027, a watchdog has warned.

The National Audit Office (NAO) said there was a backlog of 1.1 million tests that were not carried out in the 2020/21 financial year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and around 360,000 of these had still not been booked. The average waiting time was 22 weeks in September, but at 70% of test centres the wait has hit 24 weeks – the maximum allowed.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said it was "taking decisive action to address the backlog", including employing military driving examiners.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) had planned to cut waiting times to seven weeks by the end of 2025.

The NAO's inquiry found delays have led to people paying third parties to secure tests, some of whom were "paying significantly inflated prices of up to £500" - nearly eight times the official DVSA fee of £62 for a weekday slot.

It said the DVSA struggled to "understand the real demand for tests" because third party websites quickly book available slots using automated programs known as bots. "These delays can have a serious impact on learner drivers' income and the economy, with 30% of respondents to a DVSA survey saying they need to be able to drive for their jobs," the watchdog said.

The NAO also reported a lack of examiners and found many were leaving "due to uncompetitive pay and safety concerns". Despite running 19 recruitment campaigns since 2021, DVSA has only hired 83 extra examiners, far short of its 400 target. In the 2023/24 financial year, DVSA had a total of 220 staff at its 240 test centres who were qualified examiners.

(BBC article continues)

The planned new Weaver Network buses only feature a single door for both entry and exit

Plans for a publicly-owned fleet of electric buses in West Yorkshire have been criticised by campaigners for not including more doors on the vehicles for people with mobility issues or pushchairs.

A new franchised bus network is due to be rolled out from 2028, with bus fares, routes and timetables set by West Yorkshire Combined Authority. Last month, a consultation was launched over buses to be used on the Weaver Network, with views sought on features such as ramps and wi-fi.

But Gareth Forest, chair of Better Buses for West Yorkshire, said campaigners planned to carry out a mass bus-boarding at Leeds Bus Station on Wednesday to highlight the problems of getting on and off single-door vehicles.

"The campaign supporters will be boarding buses at the station with wheelchairs, prams, suitcases, heavy pieces of luggage - whatever people are going to bring - to make our point about how inaccessible West Yorkshire's buses are," Mr Forest said. "We'll be boarding as many buses as is needed to fit in all the wheelchair users and parents with children."

He added that the group was calling on West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin to "double the doors" on the new fleet of buses.

Mr Forest said: "In London and in the rest of Europe, buses have two or three sets of doors and this speeds up boarding and makes it safer and easier for everyone. Public control of our buses is our opportunity to change that, but the mayor is squandering that opportunity by ordering a fleet of 500 single-door buses."

Easier boarding would also mean "quicker journeys for everyone" as there would be more space and it would be quicker to get people on and off buses, Mr Forest said.

He also suggested bringing back conductors so drivers did not have to do everything. "Drivers are expected to drive the bus, take the fares, make sure everyone's getting on board and make sure there's safety on the bus. That's just not fair," he said.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Combined Authority said taking buses back under public control "takes time, and that includes upgrading the existing infrastructure in West Yorkshire on a repair-and-replace basis as part of our new integrated Weaver Network".

"We understand the benefits that double doors bring, but path widths, existing bus station design and bus stops can make it difficult for customers exiting from a second centre door," the spokesperson said. "We will consider feedback as we work towards a better-connected region that works for all."

Facilities on the 05:16 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 07:24.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 9. There are no reservations on this service.
Last Updated:17/12/2025 06:33

07:13 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 09:43 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Last Updated:17/12/2025 04:04

Facilities on the 21:53 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill due 00:01.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 9. There are no reservations on this service.
Last Updated:17/12/2025 06:27

It will be a bit of a 'sticking plaster' for 5+ years until new units as part of Operation Churchward come on stream, but way better than nothing.

The ‘unreliable source’ is rail journalist Jonathan Webb freelance editor of ‘Today’s Railways UK’.

I would tend to lean towards Jonathan being a more reliable than unreliable source.

And now the not so good news.

Parking charges going up Again.

The 41-year-old commuter said: "Until Jan 31 2025 it cost £4.80 per day. In Feb 2025 it increased to £5.30, then in September 2025 to £5.80. In January 2026 it will rise to £6.50.

[snip]

A GWR representative wrote back in September this year: "Thank you for getting in touch with your concerns about the parking charges at Worcestershire Parkway station.

"We appreciate that the recent increases in parking fees may feel significant, especially when compared with wider inflation rates and prices at other locations. Pricing is reviewed periodically and is based on a number of factors including operation costs, local demand, and ensuring facilities can continue to be maintained and improved.

"At present, there are no confirmed plans for further increases beyond the changes introduced in September. Your feedback has been noted and will be shared with the relevant team.

The 'fixed' information seems too much sometimes; meanwhile, the 'in the moment' information is severely lacking at times.

[snip]

Perhaps this is where some instructional stickers are needed!

having not located the button

Anger over Worcestershire Parkway parking charge increase

Oh early - that's good 

But rather more serious, the winter lull in leisure holiday passenger numbers will give GWR the opportunity to get more of these into service and I don't suppose shortforms rather that MULTIPLE units on these trains will lead to too much overcrowding in January and February.  A window of opportunity.

The easy ones are taken, and the rest nearly had me stumped but the 40-minute branch interval caught my eye.

8: Southend Victoria (truncated) with Southminster branch

Stratford 7 mins from LST, occasional Romford stop. 3tph main route with every other train connecting with a branch train. It's a long time since I've been to Eastern Region and I've never turned off at Shenfield but that pattern is quite distinctive and long-standing.

From GWR.com

The first of Great Western Railway’s recommissioned Class 175 trains has entered into passenger service ahead of their phased rollout next year.

Yesterday’s 1340 Plymouth-Penzance service was operated by 175001. It then operated the 1552 return service.

GWR leased 26 Class 175 trains earlier this year as part of plans to rejuvenate its regional and suburban services.

The full fleet will be introduced throughout 2026, operating predominantly between Exeter St Davids and Penzance, as well as to Barnstaple and Okehampton.

In the early stages of the rollout, services operated by the 175s will vary to support wider training and maintenance needs.

It follows the retirement of GWR’s four remaining Castle Class sets on Saturday. The Class 43 locomotives and Mark 3 coaches, which operated on the Great Western network for almost 50 years, are due to be returned to their leasing companies in the new year.

There's currently 31 a day almost all on the Cardiff<>Nottingham axis.  That looks set to almost double to 56 trains a day with the Cardiff<>Nottingham's supplemented by a mostly hourly call on the longer distance XC services.

I will nit pick slightly in that the morning commuter service remains little changed, just one extra train from Plymouth to Edinburgh that gets into New Street just before 9am, and nothing heading south for Cheltenham/Gloucester other than the current 07:58 as the first Bristol southbound service doesn't get there until gone 10am.