Examiners in Nanaimo are conducting upwards of 27 per cent more road tests and 35 per cent more knowledge tests for drivers licenses than in 2019. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

STOP. GO.

Nanaimo drivers facing long waits to book drivers license road tests

Nov 17, 2021 | 5:21 AM

NANAIMO — Multiple factors are behind delays in getting more licensed drivers on the road.

Examiners in Nanaimo continue to play catchup for mid-Island residents after ICBC temporarily suspended road tests in the early days of COVID-19. Testing resumed in July 2020 with a massive backlog of requests.

Brent Shearer, senior media relations advisor with ICBC, told NanaimoNewsNOW via email, early pandemic restrictions limited the number of tests which could be done in a day.

“Recently, in alignment with B.C.’s Restart under the guidance of the Provincial Health Officer, we’ve been able to get the number of tests each examiner can do per day back up to pre-pandemic levels.”

Between 35 and 40 road tests are conducted out of the Nanaimo driver licensing office every weekday, around half of which are for class five road tests.

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The Nanaimo office has four or five examiners working at any one time, with eight on staff in total.

Shearer noted ICBC hasn’t been immune to labour shortages.

“To address the demand for road testing, we’re continuously recruiting and training driver examiners. As a result, we’ve significantly increased the number of driver examiners throughout the province and many of our driver examiners have been working overtime.”

Requests for testing have also surged.

According to Shearer, ICBC has administered 35 per cent more class seven, or learner’s permit, knowledge tests so far in 2021 than it did in 2019.

Road tests for class five or seven licenses are also up 27 per cent when compared to 2019.

“We’re doing everything we can to keep up with the demand and we appreciate our customers’ patience,” Shearer added.

In many cases, prospective drivers currently face a three month wait time for an exam slot with some appointments available between 90 to 100 days as of Friday, Nov. 12.

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alex@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley