Cost of sitting driving test to almost double
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) announced yesterday that the standard fee for the driving test will increase from e38 to e75, while the cost of driving tests for learner bus and truck drivers will also increase from e63 to e110.
Although the measure was not formally announced as part of the budget, it coincided with an announcement by Transport Minister, Noel Dempsey, that there will be a further e2.8m reduction in the allocation of state funding for the RSA this year.
RSA chief executive, Noel Brett, said the increase in fees would allow the authority to improve services through reduced waiting times and fund a new computer system which will allow motorists to book their test online as well as to choose their preferred driving test centre.
He said the new fees still compared favourably with charges for driving tests in other EU countries.
Junior Transport Minister, Noel Ahern, said it was the first time that the price of the driving test had been increased since 1992.
“(The e75 fee) is just about bringing it up to what the real economic cost of the test is,” said Mr Ahern. He said more than 40,000 people had failed to show up for their driving test last year, while many others had cancelled at short notice.
The RSA confirmed that the cost of other tests such as the driver theory test and national car tested were not being increased.
