A Belfast mechanic has described ongoing delays with MOT testing in Northern Ireland as a “disaster” for his business.
MOT delays in Northern Ireland mean many drivers may find themselves without valid test certificates or able to tax their vehicle.
A backlog from the pandemic, cracks in testing centre lifts and the delayed completion of two new testing centres have all contributed to long waiting times.
Vehicles over four-years-old must be tested every year and cannot pay their annual road tax without a valid test certificate.
An exemption had been made for drivers during the pandemic, but the PSNI has said that drivers will not be prosecuted for missing their MOT date under certain conditions.
Roads Policing Superintendent Gary Busch said: “The Driver and Vehicle Agency sits within the Department for Infrastructure and they are committed to securing an MOT test date for any motorist whose MOT is due to expire.
“In the event police encounter a vehicle with no current MOT, so long as we can ascertain that a vehicle is roadworthy, has a forthcoming MOT test date and is not SORNED (Statutory Off Road Notifiation), then police will not take any further action. Every driver has a responsibility to ensure their vehicle is roadworthy.”
Last year, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) also said they would maintain cover for Northern Ireland customers who could not get a test “through no fault of their own”.
The organisation was contacted on whether this was still the case in 2024.
On Tuesday, the Irish News applied for an MOT slot which did return one option for a test the next day in Balmoral, but in most cases an appointment was not available until July.
Mechanic Charlie Sterrett owns Sterrett’s Auto Centre in south Belfast and said the backlog was putting pressure on his business.
“You could go online today for an MOT and it might be August or September,” he told The Irish News.
“You might get lucky but eight times out of ten it’s just an absolute disaster.”
He said stressed customers who missed their deadline were constantly asking him if they were allowed to take their car on the road.
“We tell them all the time they need to check with their insurance companies.
“Obviously it hurts our business. We depend on cars passing their MOTs to get jobs and money in.
“Also, on the side of the MOT centres, a lot of them are open every night and seven days a week.
“We’re even taking cars to MOTs on a Sunday to try and get the business.
“That means there’s overtime for us to pay to staff on a Sunday as well.”
Figures from the Driver and Vehicle Agency show the sheer scale of disruption caused by the pandemic, with over 962,000 MOT tests carried out in 2019 and plummeting to just over 216,000 in 2020.
Last year saw testing figures reach 991,305, but the Department for Infrastructure say they are hopeful the two new testing centres will increase that capacity by 200,000.
A facility at Hydebank in south Belfast was due to open in 2022 but is now scheduled to open later this year.
Another new test centre in Mallusk, Co Antrim, was supposed to open in 2024 but is now planned for next year.
The DVA has blamed the delays on the Covid-19 backlog, sourcing materials and issues with a company contracted to provide testing equipment.
A Department for Infrastructure spokesperson also told the BBC this week that the new transport minister, Sinn Féin’s John O’Dowd, was “currently being briefed on the key issues for the department and is aware staff in MoT centres are working seven days a week to reduce vehicle test waiting times”.
They added that “once fully operational,” the two new test centres would help DVA to meet future demand.
