Dozens of driving schools gathered this Friday in front of the Provincial Traffic Headquarters in Seville to denounce the saturation of the practical exam system. The sector demands more examiners and the opening of evening shifts.
The protest, called by the Provincial Association of Driving Schools of Seville and the platform More Exams, More Examiners, brought together owners and instructors in front of the Provincial Traffic Headquarters. The demonstrators carried banners with slogans such as “We want to examine” and “DGT, listen”. The gathering, which lasted nearly two hours, proceeded without incidents.
Six Months Wait for the Second Practical Exam
The president of the Provincial Association of Driving Schools of Seville, Alfonso Martínez, has stated that the situation is “unsustainable.” According to Martínez, some candidates wait up to six months to take the second practical exam. “We have businesses that we cannot sustain and students frustrated at the doors of our schools,” he lamented.
Martínez criticized the DGT's response, accusing it of “burying its head in the sand” by denying the magnitude of the problem and blaming driving schools for the failures. “They tell us we are liars and poor trainers,” he denounced.
The associations are demanding two urgent measures: the reinforcement of the examiner staff and the expansion of exams to the evening shift. They believe that the current system is incapable of meeting the existing demand.
From 7,451 to 18,820 Students Pending in Three Years
The spokesperson for the More Exams, More Examiners platform, Leopoldo Cotán, provided official data reflecting the worsening of the problem. According to Cotán, the province of Seville has gone from having 7,451 students pending exams in 2023 to 18,820 in 2026. During the same period, the number of examiners has decreased by nearly 45%.
“We are talking about almost 19,000 students, and we can prove it with official documents in hand,” Cotán stated, warning that this situation makes it “impossible” to maintain the activity of many driving schools as they cannot provide the service within reasonable timeframes.
Cotán emphasized that the pool of students has grown exponentially while resources have decreased. “In 2023, there were about 8,000 students waiting, and now there are 18,000, with fewer examiners and less capacity than then,” he concluded.
A Problem That Has Become Chronic Throughout the Year
José Manuel Portillo, a representative of the Edesia Association and a driving school instructor for over two decades, explained that the problem is no longer limited to the summer. “There has always been a backlog of students in the summer, but this year summer has lasted throughout the winter. I have been a teacher for 22 years, and this has never happened,” he pointed out.
Portillo detailed that the reduction in examination slots forces a slowdown in the training pace. “With a pool of almost 30 students, you can only examine two or three. You cannot start with new students if you don’t know when you will be able to examine them,” he lamented.
For students in Seville, the wait translates into uncertainty and, in many cases, the need to repeat practical classes to maintain their level while waiting for the exam date. The driving schools, for their part, see their billing capacity diminished and fear for their viability.
This Friday's gathering is the first in a series of mobilizations that the sector plans to call if the DGT does not address their demands. So far, the General Directorate of Traffic has not issued an official statement in response to the protests.
The organizers have announced that they will take their demands to the Government Subdelegation in Seville and do not rule out further actions if there is no progress in the coming weeks.
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