RSA to close Dublin driving test centre despite seven-month waiting list

The Raheny centre will close in September as the RSA faces criticism over capacity and unauthorised driving test booking apps

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has said that while tests booked through unauthorised platforms will be cancelled, it cannot say how many learners have missed out on their tests. File picture

The Road Safety Authority will close a busy Dublin testing centre despite growing pressure to increase capacity as frustrated learner drivers turn to third-party apps to book tests.

However, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has said that while tests booked through unauthorised platforms will be cancelled, it cannot say how many learners have missed out on their tests.

As previously reported by the Irish Examiner, the RSA warned drivers not to book tests through unauthorised third-party platforms.

It said in February that it was working on a fix to limit the ability of websites offering quicker test access to access its systems.

Apps are charging between €14.99 and €95 and claiming to learners that they will get cancellation appointments faster than they would with the RSA if they use their platform. Another app is charging €9.99 a month to “track five locations simultaneously”.

However, in response to queries from Fianna Fáil TD John Connolly, the RSA confirmed that it is aware of third-party apps “purporting to offer driving test candidates cancelled appointments”.

“Where a person opts to book a test using a third-party app there is a high likelihood that this test will be cancelled,” Brendan Walsh, chief operations officer of the RSA, said.

However, the RSA did not answer queries from Mr Connolly on how many tests have been cancelled to date.

“The growth of these third-party apps is a clear sign of the frustration many learner drivers are experiencing due to long waiting times,” he told the Irish Examiner.

Mr Connolly said the lack of figures raised questions about how the bookings are being identified and monitored.

“The RSA has warned that driving tests booked through these platforms could be cancelled, yet it’s unable to provide the figures on how many appointments have been cancelled to date. That raises obvious questions about how these bookings are being identified and monitored.”

Raheny centre to close in September

It comes as the RSA has announced it will close its Raheny test centre in north Dublin, despite a seven-month waiting list.

Applicants waiting to receive a test have been told that their test will be moved to nearby Killester in the coming weeks.

Figures recently obtained by Sinn Féin’s transport spokesperson Pa Daly confirmed that waiting times to be invited to book a test in Raheny stood at 29 weeks, up from 18 this time last year.

The current waiting time to be invited to book a test in Killester is 14 weeks.

An RSA spokesperson told the Irish Examiner that Raheny will close on September 18, with “additional accommodation” secured at Killester, which will result in “improved driving test waiting times in the area”.

“There are building works in Raheny that are severely restricting capacity at the centre and its ability to meet demand for the service,” he said.

“The waiting time for a test at the Raheny centre was 29 weeks at the end of July, compared with a national average of 12.1 weeks.”

Mr Daly said that closing Raheny is “shifting the problem elsewhere and risking even longer waits for learner drivers who have already been left waiting far too long”.

“Instead of responding by increasing capacity and providing additional testing slots, the RSA has decided to close the centre and transfer its 2,855 learners to Killester, where 1,381 people are already waiting for a test,” he said.

“This is not a real solution to the driving test backlog.”