Chilled Driving Tuition, a driving school based in Thorpe End, has highlighted the challenges of the current driving instructor shortage in Norfolk. The school has stated that almost every instructor in the county is fully booked for the next five months, making it extremely difficult for new students to get lessons. The main issue is the lack of available exam dates, as hundreds of thousands of tests were cancelled during the pandemic, leading to a significant backlog. In the past, new students would have had to wait a maximum of two weeks for a lesson, but now they may have to wait until June of the following year.
The driving school has also been impacted by the rising fuel prices, which have forced them to increase the price of lessons three or four times in the past six months. The peak hourly rate has now reached £52, shocking some potential students who cannot afford it. However, the school states that the price hikes are necessary to cover the increased costs of running the business. The combination of expensive lessons and fuel costs has made it increasingly difficult to retain driving instructors, with many leaving the industry due to dwindling profitability.
The school is currently struggling to meet the high demand for lessons and is forced to turn away desperate students. Unfortunately, until the backlog of driving tests is cleared and fuel prices decrease, the situation is unlikely to improve. As one of Norfolk’s renowned driving schools, Chilled Driving Tuition is facing unprecedented challenges due to the difficult circumstances brought about by the pandemic.
Overall, the driving instructor shortage in Norfolk has resulted in long wait times for new students and increased prices for lessons. The backlog of cancelled driving tests and rising fuel costs have created a difficult situation for both driving schools and aspiring drivers. Until these issues are resolved, the driving school industry in Norfolk will continue to face significant challenges.
