Local drivers struggle with pandemic-driven backlog of road tests
Some local residents found themselves jumping through hoops to snag an appointment for an in-vehicle driving exam.
“There’s some days where I waited anywhere from an hour to five hours in a virtual line just to not to be able to book anything,” says Rachel Spadatto, who has been trying to book a road test for her 17-year-old daughter and 19-year-old son.
“It became very frustrating.”
Spadotto is not alone. Since March 2020, there have been approximately 421,827 road tests cancelled across Ontario due to pandemic lockdowns. This includes 8,772 at the Windsor DriveTest centre and 7,852 at the London DriveTest centre.
To address the bottleneck, Ontario's Ministry of Transportation has opened temporary testing locations in Guelph and Oshawa.
Additional satellite centres are opening September in the Greater Toronto Area and the Niagara/Hamilton region, but none in Windsor-Essex or London.
Jacob Hammoud owner of iDrive driving school in Windsor says adding temporary locations is not the solution to clearing the backlog because the shortage is in the manpower.
“Rather than opening another location and dividing the examiners in half into two different groups two different locations. The money should be invested in hiring new examiners,” Hammoud explains.
The province says recruitment is underway to hire these 251 new temporary examiners by September 2021. Driver examiners will be assigned to DriveTest centres across the province, including 6 additional examiners in Windsor increasing passenger road testing capacity by 55 per cent and five examiners in London, increasing passenger road testing by 50 per cent.
Road test appointments are currently booking up to six months in advance, with new blocks of appointments opening up weekly as new examiners come on board.
Some drivers have been able snatch one of these last-minute testing appointments, but Hammoud says that has resulted in some drivers arriving to the tests unprepared and failing.
“They’re showing up to the road test centre without completing any of their classes,” Hammound says. “Not only are they failing the road test, they are taking away the time slot from someone who is desperately in need of getting their G2.”
Prior to the pandemic, the G and G2 pass rate in Windsor was 62 per cent, according to Hammoud. He expects the pass percentage to drop.
“Coming up in 2021 will be amongst the highest of failing,” he says.
Hammoud advises would-be-drivers to complete their lessons first before booking a road test, even if that means waiting a bit longer.
“All it takes is just one time if you do things the right way, rather than going there and taking up multiple spots,” he says.
As for Spadotto, after months of attempting to book online, she has successfully booked road tests for her two children in February 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CDC says it's identified 1st documented cases of HIV transmitted through cosmetic needles
Three women who were diagnosed with HIV after getting 'vampire facial' procedures at an unlicensed New Mexico medical spa are believed to be the first documented cases of people contracting the virus through a cosmetic procedure using needles, federal health officials said.
All London Drugs stores closed across Western Canada due to system issue
All 79 locations of pharmacy and retail chain London Drugs are shut down Sunday, and there is no estimate on when they will be back open.
Casey DeSmith won’t start Game 4 for the Canucks
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Vancouver Canucks when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series Sunday.
Ontario to ban use of cellphones in school classrooms starting in September
Ontario is introducing a suite of measures that will crack down on cellphone use and vaping in schools.
Putin likely didn't order death of Russian opposition leader Navalny, U.S. official says
U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin likely didn't order the death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny in February, according to an official familiar with the determination.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Cybersecurity expert weighs in on the possibility of a U.S. ban of TikTok
Anyone who has a Gen-Z person in their life is likely familiar with the popular social media app TikTok, but a new bill in the U.S. may soon take it off of the American market.
Murder charge laid after man falls to death from Toronto apartment balcony
One person has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who fell from a balcony following an altercation inside a Toronto apartment building.
'Do not consume': Gift Chocolate recalled due to undeclared milk, soy
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for a specific chocolate brand sold in Ontario and Quebec.