Candidates who had their Practical Driving Assessments (PDA) cancelled due to COVID-19 will have all been contacted by the end of this week, with the Department of Transport (DoT) making more than 10,600 phone calls – meaning the PDA online booking system will become available to customers today (June 5), almost three weeks earlier than anticipated.
In mid-March, the ability to book C Class PDAs online was suspended and approximately 6,500 non-essential PDA bookings deferred, as all available tests were allocated to essential workers.
The Department of Transport has now attempted to contact all candidates who had their PDA cancelled, giving them priority booking, with many of them having already completed their rebooked PDA.
With DoT now having made multiple attempts to contact each of the cancelled candidates, the online PDA booking system, accessible through DoTDirect, will become available from midday today to anyone wishing to undertake a PDA.
To help cater for the additional demand, DoT has recruited and trained an additional 35 driver assessors and will temporarily reopen its Welshpool Licensing Centre in late June – which will be a PDA only centre operating seven days a week with extended opening hours.
Visit https://www.transport.wa.gov.au/covid-19 for the latest information on PDAs.
As stated by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
“I again want to thank learner drivers for their patience during the past few months – I know getting a driver’s licence is an exciting event and a rite of passage for many youngsters.
“We’ve already seen more than 3,000 tests re-booked and more than 1,800 tests already taken, with more than 850 learner drivers successfully passing their driving tests.
“Practical Driving Assessments are a very important and necessary service, which is why we have prioritised work to rebook tests and clear the backlog as quickly as possible.
“The online PDA booking system becoming available to candidates almost three weeks sooner than anticipated is a testament of the hard work being provided by DoT employees.
“The way the community has responded and adapted to the changes brought about by COVID-19-related restrictions is something of which we should all be proud.”
