A long-delayed Edinburgh taxi testing centre that has gone more than £1 million over budget is finally set to open this summer.
The new council-run taxi and private hire testing facility is expected to open in May or June, more than a year behind schedule and around £1.3 million over its original projected cost.
The project was initially expected to cost around £1 million in 2023, but the total has since risen to £2.3 million.
Construction of the new centre in South Gyle faced a series of setbacks, including issues with concrete work and delays linked to power supply installation.
The new facility is intended to replace the existing Murrayburn testing centre, which has been operating under restricted capacity due to roof safety concerns.
More than 4,000 vehicle tests are carried out each year at Murrayburn, where only two ramps are currently available for full inspections, leading to overtime working to meet demand.
The new site will double inspection capacity with four ramps, alongside new office and training space.
Despite the limitations at Murrayburn, the council said in November that wait times for new vehicle tests remained at around eight weeks, while most other testing services were operating without delays.
However, vehicle retests and missed appointments have continued to create some disruption.
A report presented to councillors this week said most applications were still being processed for consultation within a seven-day target, although ramp capacity pressures, rising vehicle fail rates and mandatory driver training requirements were affecting overall completion times.
Read more
Keys for the new South Gyle site have now been handed over to the council, with both testing centres expected to operate at the same time during the transition period.
A full transfer of operations from Murrayburn is expected later this summer.
The project’s cost rose steadily over the course of development, increasing from £1 million to £1.56 million in 2023 due to inflation and updated equipment costs.
By May 2025, estimates had climbed to £2.1 million, before reaching a confirmed total of £2.3 million later that year.
The original estimates had been based on pre-pandemic costs.
City of Edinburgh Council has been approached for comment.
