Sinn Féin Representative For Newbridge Criticises Government's Handling Of Driving Test Wait Times

Thursday, 14 August 2025 12:31

By Hannah Kelly

Over 3,000 people are currently waiting in the Naas Driving Test Centre

The Government's handling of the driving test backlogs have been criticised by a local Sinn Féin representative, as new figures released by the RSA show that over 3,000 people are waiting to sit their test in the Naas Driving Test Centre.

Speaking on this morning's Kildare Today, James Stokes, Sinn Féin Area Representative for Newbridge, said the figures were shocking, and that the Government has repeatedly failed to deal with the growing backlog in driving tests.

3,312 applicants are currently waiting for a driving test in Naas.

Figures provided by Mr. Stokes show that the Naas centre currently has:

• 1,259 applicants already scheduled for a test date

• 3,312 applicants waiting for a slot

• 2,473 applicants paused after not using an invitation to book within 10 days

• 1,564 applicants not yet eligible to sit their test

• 8,608 applicants in the system overall

"There needs to be an actual strategic plan, we need to get back to that ten week statutory max, because it's gone beyond that", said Mr. Stokes.

Sinn Féin's solutions to this wait-time include:

• Increasing resources in the system to meet demand

• Expediting and expanding the recruitment of driving test instructors

• Addressing gaps in test centre locations and capacity

In an announcement made today, the RSA claim the national waiting time for a driving test has dropped to 13.5 weeks, as of August 14 2025.

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