“I have already spent more than €2000”

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In Côte-d'Or, it is better to be patient if you want to obtain your driving license. Waiting times may reach four months to get a date passing the exam. This crisis is due to a lack of inspectors. Departures, transfers, prolonged sick leave and leave have aggravated this shortage: the department should have 10.5 full-time equivalents, but only five are in office. Delays accumulate for candidates, complicating the organization of exam sessions.

However, according to the vice-president of Mobilians, Côte d'Or road education and safety branch, Pascal Munier, even if temporary reinforcement was granted from Yonne, these measures remain insufficient to absorb all the requests. “ It's insufficient for a city like Dijon which has 160,000 inhabitants: demand is strong due to its large student population » he emphasizes.

“We face this every day”

“Currently, the system for allocating exam places is based on training potential driving schools”. But this system shows its limits: “I needed seven places for the first half of December, but I only got two. Five students will therefore have to wait…for nothing” deplores Pascal.

The shortage of staff directly impacts candidates, who see their training costs increase due to the overtime required to maintain their level while waiting this famous, long-awaited date.

More than 2000 euros

Alexandre, 19, a student enrolled in a Dijon driving school, is paying the price: “ I have already spent more than 2,000 euros and I still don’t have a confirmed date for the exam,” he explains. His friend Thomas, who missed his first visit this summeris also awaiting a new date, without any visibility on a possible second passage. “It’s frustrating for him. We all have busy schedules, between classes and internships. Not being able to plan a license test is really stressful. »

Everyone suffers

According to Pascal Munier, this lack of places and the complexity of the system reinforce a negative perception of driving schools: “This situation makes it seem driving schools for people who abuse of the situation, while we have no control over the number of places allocated,” he explains. “Billing extra hours, it blocks us too because we can't take other candidates! »

For him, it is also necessary for the State to provide more transparency on management exam places. “Today we have half as many places for a number of candidates which remains high. There should be more transparency from the state so that candidates understand the reality of the situation. »

“We need to find solutions, in the short, medium and long term”

According to Pascal Munier, it is imperative to find solutions. “In the short term, we ask reinforcements to compensate these difficulties. In the medium term, we should rethink current operations. In the long term, why not consider a public service delegationas for the highway code? », he suggests on a personal level.

A meeting is planned between the managers of Dijon driving schools soon to take stock of the situation. If no improvement is made, “we will move on to the next stage”warns Pascal Munier, determined to defend the rights of candidates and to find solutions to this crisis which weighs more and more heavily on students and driving schools.

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