The Alberta government is set to announce “immediate changes” to reduce wait times for road tests in the province.
In a news release, the province said Minister of Transportation Ric McIver will provide more details Thursday at noon at the Alberta Motor Association.
The announcement comes amid frustration from hopeful drivers who have been waiting as long as two months to take their road tests.
“We understand this is an ongoing large problem, and we’re considering new mechanisms to get it caught up more,” McIver said at the end of August.
Last year, the then-NDP government announced it would assume authority for road tests, which were previously privatized, on March 1, 2019.
Under the change, all road test examiners became government employees and fees were standardized.
At the time, the province said it was reclaiming authority over driver tests following reports of harassment and assault, with former transportation minister Brian Mason calling it a “wild west” system.
The UCP government says the transition cost millions of dollars and created the backlog.
