Calls for NCT operator contract to be terminated

Applus, the firm operating the national car testing service (NCTS) in Ireland, is facing pressure to quit its contract due to a backlog in waiting times.

Applus is being accused of falsely advertising a 14-day average national wait time for the national car test, when some centres are reported to have a backlog of up to six months for an appointment.

The Road Safety Authority’s (RSA) contract with Applus was renewed for a further 10 years in 2020, but is said to have failed to provide its own customer charter of offering free tests to wait times of more than 28 days.

Fianna Fáil’s transport spokesperson, James O’Connor, said these wait times are “no longer acceptable” and thinks the contract with Applus should be ended.

“At this stage, I think it’s no longer acceptable or palatable to me as a Government TD, as my party spokesperson on transport in Fianna Fáil that [Applus] should be allowed to remain in place and to remain having this contract, which was a decade long contract negotiated in the middle of the pandemic,” he stated.