Lleida's traffic authority, the DGT, conducted 315 practical driving licence tests on Saturday in an exceptional effort to reduce a backlog of 5,000 people awaiting examinations. The current waiting period for a driving test in Lleida has reached four months.
Sixteen examiners were deployed for the full-day testing programme, which was the only Saturday session planned. José Crespín, the Spanish government's sub-delegate in Lleida, told reporters that the initiative would "absorb a good part of the accumulated demand in the capital" and free up resources for exams in other areas, including La Pobla de Segur and La Seu d'Urgell.
This single-day event processed nearly 10% of the 3,299 driving tests conducted across the Lleida province in the first quarter of the year. Typically, around 60 tests are performed daily, but this number has sometimes halved due to examiner shortages, according to sources. The current staff includes nine people, comprising one coordinator and eight examiners.
Driving Schools Criticise Plan
In mid-April, only five examiners were active, with others on sick leave or union duties, the sub-delegation reported. The Association of Driving Schools of Lleida stated that the plan was "imposed, without consensus, and does not solve the problem."
Driving schools also highlighted that the plan discriminates against parts of the province, as tests were only held in Lleida city. This forces students to travel "150 to 200 kilometres when they already have their own examination zone." They are calling for "a stable team of examiners" and for the provincial head to "fix the internal problem" to ensure all examiners are active.
Following the announcement of the plan, the association released a statement describing it as "a rushed action, for show, and with very limited effectiveness, which does not solve a structural problem with a patch."
