ICBC says ‘sorry’ to customers waiting months for driver’s test

In a rare move, ICBC is saying ‘sorry’ to its customers as some people are seeing months-long wait times to book a driver’s test.

One mother from Maple Ridge tells 1130 NewsRadio she looked on the public insurer’s website in March to book a test for her teenage son but couldn’t find anything locally until September. She has since booked an exam for him in Richmond, but it’s not until the summer. She says there’s urgency to get his ‘N,’ as the Grade 12 student will have to drive to his post-secondary institution in the fall.

One driving instructor at the Skillful Driving School in Maple Ridge tells us smaller driver’s licensing locations often see spillover from other jurisdictions that either don’t have an office or are seeing their timeslots all booked up. For example, the driving centre in Maple Ridge may see customers from Abbotsford, Coquitlam, and Surrey.

Greg Harper, spokesperson for ICBC, says it’s dealing with an increase in demand and admits there aren’t enough examiners right now.

“It started to get busier in November. We apologize for any inconvenience this is causing our customers that are finding it challenging right now to book a road test. We are working through this. Currently we are hiring more driver examiners,” said Harper.

He says the agency has hired 10 examiners province-wide so far and is looking to bring another 10 on board but didn’t provide a timeline for when that will happen.

Harper adds ICBC often sees bookings go up once the weather improves.

“We have many driver examiners who are working overtime in some cases to increase the availability for our customers. We certainly understand that having a difficult time trying to find a road test time — that is very inconvenient.”

He explains one option is to wait on standby but acknowledges it’s not going to be feasible for many people.

“There is the option to head to the location you’d like to take your road test at, be there on standby, and a lot of our customers end up taking their road test that way because we do have a number of cancellations that take place every day. Definitely, the more flexible you are, the better.”

Harper also suggests checking the ICBC website consistently for any openings.

ICBC says the other issue is the system being bogged down by people having to retake their test multiple times.

(Captured via ICBC.com)

“We really encourage our customers to show up prepared for their road test. We still have nearly half of our customers that are failing their road test on their first attempt. If we have more people passing their road test on the first attempt, that’s going to put less pressure on the system, and make it easier for those that are trying to book a road test.”

He says the longest wait times are in the Lower Mainland and parts of Vancouver Island.

“It’s much easier to book a road test up north, but of course, we know that’s not a great option for a lot of people living in the Lower Mainland.”

ICBC acknowledges it’s not meeting its test targets right now.

“Ideally, we’d like to have our customers be able to book a test within 60 days. We know right now that’s not happening. Our customers are able to book their road test 180 days out from it, and we encourage everyone who is looking to get their license to book their road test as soon as they’re available to do so. This also increases your chances of finding a time that works best and a day that works best for you.”