Prospective drivers who do not show up for their scheduled road test will be facing new penalties starting May 16.

The city hopes to decrease wait times at testing sites by not allowing people who fail to show up for their road tests from making another appointment for 14 days. No-shows will also lose the $8 deposit they were required to pay before taking the test.

“We expect the new no-show procedure to help cut in half the wait for a road test appointment,” said Kim Hashiro, director designate of the city’s Department of Customer Services. “In the meantime, we are appealing to residents to be courteous and cancel road test appointments they don’t need to allow us to better meet demand for this service.”

The average wait time for a road test is four months.

The city currently estimates that there is a 17% weekly no-show rate for the over 900 scheduled road test appointments, with about 155 appointments going unused.

During the week of May 2, Waianae Drivers Licensing Center had the highest no-show rate of 23%, followed by Koolau Drivers Licensing Center. Wahiawa Drivers Licensing Center had the lowest no-show rate that week at 11%.

Those who want to avoid the new penalty must reschedule their appointment by 6 a.m. the day of their scheduled test. Anyone who arrives more than five minutes after their scheduled time is considered a no-show, and will be subject to the new penalty.

The city expects those with appointments to arrive at least 30 minutes before their scheduled time.

To schedule an appointment, prospective drivers can visit the Department of Customer Services’ road test website.