Parents and teens express frustration as NSW Ps test delays drag on

Long wait times, last-minute cancellations and regional road trips are turning a simple driving test into a major ordeal for NSW families.

For most Aussie teens, turning 17 used to be all about freedom - a provisional licence marking the start of independence. But across New South Wales, that rite of passage has become a roadblock. Literally.

Learner drivers and their families are facing long delays, repeat cancellations and months-long waits to sit their driving test, with many saying the system is broken - and no one seems to be doing anything to fix it.

While COVID-era backlogs have never fully resolved, many families now believe the growing demand from international drivers - required to sit a test within six months of arrival - is making it harder than ever for local teens to access appointments.

The result? A chaotic mix of driving instructors juggling cancellations, teenagers delaying plans, and exhausted parents spending hours refreshing Service NSW websites and planning cross-country test-day road trips.

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Gone are the days of getting your Ps on your birthday. Teens now face long delays. Image: Supplied

“Now we can’t rebook until the end of September”

Katie, a mum from southern Sydney, tried to book her son’s Ps test two months in advance to coincide with his birthday. There were no appointments available anywhere in Sydney.

They eventually booked a test in Nowra - more than three hours away - just to secure a spot. A few weeks later, they were able to move the booking to Engadine when a cancellation came up. But then, just 45 minutes before the scheduled test, Katie received a call from Service NSW.

“They cancelled the test because the assessor had called in sick. We understood - these things happen - but now we’ve been told we go to the end of the list and can’t book again until the end of September.”

“This is happening to all the kids we know,” she tells Kidspot. “They’re trying to do the right thing, and we’re all paying rego and taxes - we just want them to be able to do a driving test in their local area without waiting months.”

“Four cancellations and still no result”

Another family, who asked not to be named, shared that their teen has been through five test attempts - two cancelled by Service NSW, one failed due to what they describe as a technicality, and one cancelled due to a car fault.

“The first was a Service NSW cancellation. The second, they failed the test - fair enough. But the instructor even said, ‘Yeah, they stopped at the stop sign, but not the stop line,’” the parent says. “Then two more cancellations. One was because the car’s front passenger window was too slow - it’s a five-year-old car.”

Now, their fifth test is six to eight weeks away. “That’s four days off work and still no result,” they said. “Service NSW has never recovered since COVID, and they’ve done absolutely nothing to deal with the constant backlog.”

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Parents call for urgent fix to NSW Ps test backlog. Image: Getty

“Four and a half hour drive, just so he could sit the test”

Alice, a parent from Cronulla described a similar situation. When they tried to book their son’s test locally, they were told the wait time was four months.

“We tried to book my son in for his Ps test locally on his birthday with no luck," Alice tells Kidspot.

"So we called around to different Service NSW offices in areas where we had connections, and it was actually fairly all busy in most places. But when I enquired further away - about Narooma, Moruya and Bega on the far south coast - they had lots of vacancies."

They ended up securing a booking in Narooma, a nearly four and a half hour drive from home.

“We were told people are travelling everywhere they can for earlier bookings," says Alice. "Flying to Tweed Heads, driving to Dubbo. But for us, it was Narooma. It’s what we had to do.”

The bigger picture for teens

While families say they’re doing what they can to help their teens get over the line, some are concerned about the flow-on effects of these delays.

For many young people, getting their Ps is a key step toward independence. Some parents say they’ve had to rearrange school schedules and driving lessons around test availability - only for those tests to be cancelled at the last minute.

And while it hasn’t been officially tracked, there are concerns that delays could affect teens’ ability to access part-time jobs, TAFE courses or on-the-job training that require a licence.

Even simple things like driving themselves to school or sport are now on hold for months.

The instructor backlog

Parents have heard that the backlog is made worse by the number of international licence holders failing and rebooking. “We were told by the driving instructor that those with international licences are only valid for six months,” one parent shared. “Most are failing, so they book in again straight away - the backlog is getting worse.”

What parents want

Some have begun writing to their local MPs. One family suggested reforming the system to allow licensed driving instructors to conduct driving tests - a model used in other countries.

“Give licensed instructors the power to perform driving tests,” one parent wrote. “They’re not going to pass someone who’s not ready - they’d be held accountable. But it would ease the burden on Service NSW and get these kids back on the road.”

What Service NSW says

In response to these concerns, a spokesperson for Service NSW told Kidspot that the organisation is currently experiencing a spike in demand for driver tests, which “has mainly been driven by a policy change requiring overseas drivers to convert to NSW licences if they intend to reside in NSW for six months or longer.”

“Service NSW expects the overseas driver conversion backlog to be reaching its peak and is continuing to monitor and plan for demand,” the spokesperson said.

They added that “there are currently more than 14,000 test slots across the State available to book up until the end of September and customers are encouraged to check the online booking system for availability.”

“In relation to localised demand,” the spokesperson explained, “Service NSW operates driver testing across the network and will move testers to locations experiencing higher demand where possible. While there may be demands on an individual driver test location, there may be availability elsewhere within the region. We encourage people to go online to check available slots.”

Bookings, they said, open eight weeks out and are updated weekly as new slots become available.

The spokesperson also pointed to additional measures that have been introduced to meet demand, including the opening of new driver testing centres at St Marys and Macquarie Fields and the introduction of “Super Saturdays” on a short-term basis to provide up to 450 extra tests per week, depending on staff availability.

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Until then, the frustration continues

Learner drivers are falling through the cracks. Their parents are burning annual leave and patience. And what should be a simple step toward adulthood is becoming an unnecessary uphill battle.

Because while a driving test might seem small, it often marks the start of something bigger - independence, confidence, and the freedom to move forward.

And right now, NSW is stuck in neutral.

Originally published as Parents and teens express frustration as NSW Ps test delays drag on