Testing station ‘bedlam’ in long wait for WoFs

QUEUING UP: Vehicles line up two-by-two to get a warrant of fitness at Gisborne Vehicle Testing station yesterday. The drop to Level 2 resulted in long queues, with one East Coast woman enduring a three-and-a-half- hour wait before failing her WoF. Picture by Paul Rickard

An East Coast motorist keen to get her car a new warrant of fitness yesterday endured a futile three-hour-plus wait as drivers poured into Gisborne Vehicle Testing station with the same idea.

The driver, who did not wish to be named, paid for the WoF at 9.17am but did not drive out again until 12.54pm.

“It was bedlam, with vehicles trying to exit and a couple of close accidents on Childers Road as drivers sought to reverse out of long queues,” she said.

Unfortunately, she was still without a warrant.

“It failed due to a stone-chipped windscreen that actually happened this morning following a forestry truck.”

The testing station on Childers Road is owned by Gisborne Holdings Ltd — the commercial arm of Gisborne District Council.

“There is high demand for WoFs due to Level 4 closure, with a need to catch up from that period,” GHL commercial operations general manager Jeremy Raymond said.

“We were open in Level 3, initially to trade customers only but then to the public once we could ensure we adhered to all Level 3 restrictions.

“We mitigate the high demand by allowing customers to drop their vehicles off and we can call them when the WoF is completed. We have been doing this for over a year now and it has been received positively.

“It is important to note that carrying out an accurate warrant can take 30 to 40 minutes per vehicle.

“Our staff are doing their best to get through the high demand as efficiently as possible while ensuring a high-quality WoF inspection is carried out.”

The Government this morning announced that as a result of the Delta outbreak, driver licences, warrants of fitness, certificates of fitness (CoFs), vehicle licences (“regos”) and licence endorsements that expired on or after July 21 of this year will be valid until November 30.

“While this extension won't officially be in force until next Wednesday, I wanted to provide certainty to the public and industry that we have heard their concerns”, Transport Minister Michael Wood said.

“For people who reside outside of Auckland, I'd encourage them to check their WoFs or CoFs are up to date as these can be renewed at Alert Levels 2 and 3.

“Driver licensing and testing facilities will open under Alert Level 2. People with tests already booked will be rescheduled to the earliest possible test once services resume.

“I've asked officials to look into how we can make temporary extensions more quickly in the future so we can swiftly provide certainly if any further lockdowns are required.”