19 April 2008

Driving Test fees rise and Bangor Test Centre to move

New drivers have to pay increased fees to take their test in the UK. The Theory test for cars and motorcycles is now £30.00 with the practical test charged at £56.50.The practical test for a car and trailer (B + E) has risen to a whopping £105.00.

The Caernarfon Driving School is the longest serving school in Caernarfon and told us that they were saddened to see even more charges passed on to the learner. They said " when we began in the early eighties, lessons were on par with the test fees, but gradually over the years the test fees have steadily gone up in prices and now are more than double the fees charged by most driving schools.

Driving schools running costs have also risen with petrol prices governing what an instructor charges. The average wait for a test is around two weeks for the theory and four to five weeks for a driving test. New instructors are popping up all over the place and pupils have the choice of choosing either male or female instructors. Gone also are the days where a pupil has to endure a smoky atmosphere in the tuition car as it is now illegal for ANYONE to smoke in a driving school vehicle. The car is classed as a "place of work" and therefore fall under the strict no smoking law introduced by the government. Anyone caught smoking in a tuition car will be subjected to a heavy fine, even if a pupil is not present.

Bangor Test Centre

The Bangor test centre will soon be the hub for taking tests in Gwynedd and Anglesey. Colwyn Bay and Holyhead centres have been closed by the DSA and only Pwllheli test centre remains operational (due to the distances involved for the pupil to travel.)

At present the Test centre at Coed Mawr  will struggle to meet the demand and with this in mind a brand new state of the art centre will soon be built at Unit 1 Llandygai Industrial Estate. The new centre will also incorporate the theory tests and allow spacious room for conducting car and motorcycle tests. The new location will also make it easier for instructors and pupils to access and park and away from the heavy congestion of Coed Mawr.

The move is scheduled to be made around September time will be the third centre Bangor has had. No details have been released as to what will be done with the existing building.

Already, instructors on Anglesey have complained about the long distances they now have to travel and traffic congestion over the bridges, whilst instructors in the Colwyn Bay area have complained that the expressway is a no go area for learners which makes it difficult for them to reach Bangor quickly.

More on the Caernarfon Driving School here  www.CaernarfonDrivingSchool.co.uk