Learner drivers have found a new way to skip the queue for driving tests.
Internet bots are now being used to search the Road Safety Authority (RSA) website to find cancellation slots, according to the Irish Times,.
From there, drivers can use third-party apps to pay for one of the opportunities.
Around 81,000 people are on the waiting list for tests, with the average wait time at almost 27 weeks.
The average wait time over the past three weeks has jumped from 24.1 weeks to 26.9 weeks.
The biggest increase in wait time was found at Carlow Test Centre, which went up by six weeks to a wait time of 26 weeks.
At test centres in Castlebar, Thurles, Athlone, Tullamore and Newcastle West, the wait time increased by four weeks.
Minister of State for Transport Sean Canney has instructed the RSA to review its plan to get test times down to 10 weeks.
The Tuam RD is also calling on the RSA to “identify further measures that will bring forward the date for achieving the target”.
