Sarah Gibson MP Slams "Broken" Driving Test Booking System

MP Slams “Broken” Driving Test Booking System After Calne Resident Voices Frustration

A resident from Calne has spoken out about the ongoing difficulties in booking a practical driving test — prompting local MP Sarah Gibson to raise the issue with the Government.

The resident contacted Sarah Gibson MP after experiencing repeated website crashes and seeing available test slots disappear within seconds. In response, to the resident’s complaint to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), the agency attributed the backlog to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic — now five years ago.

After writing to the Department for Transport (DfT), Sarah Gibson MP uncovered new figures showing that just 2,859 practical driving tests were made available at the Chippenham Test Centre in the 24-week period, starting 31 March 2025.

Adding to the frustration, it has been reported that many of these limited test slots are being snapped up by "bots" — automated software capable of reserving appointments faster than people — and resold by some driving schools for a massive profit.

“Like my constituent, and on behalf of all learner drivers across my constituency, I am deeply frustrated with the driving test backlog,” said Sarah Gibson MP. “Delays in securing a test can cost learners thousands of pounds. Access to a car in a rural constituency like mine is a real lifeline for people trying to get to school or work.”

DfT has announced plans to recruit 450 new driving examiners nationally. However, in the government’s response to Sarah, they confirmed that only two vacancies are currently available across the whole of Wiltshire.

“Whilst I welcome steps to improve the situation, this is too little, too late,” Gibson added. “More of my constituents are falling behind due to a broken booking system. I am backing calls to clamp down on price gouging by bots and to deliver more out-of-hour tests to cut wait times.”