DMV to offer Saturday hours

Raleigh, N.C. — As the U.S. Postal Service prepares to curtail its services, the state Division of Motor Vehicles says it will expand its hours and begin providing licenses on Saturdays.

The new hours will begin March 2 at three DMV offices. The office at 2431 Spring Forest Road in north Raleigh and offices in Greenville and Charlotte will open from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays and will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.

“We know North Carolinians have busy schedules. The extended hours will make it easier and more convenient for drivers to conduct business at the DMV," Transportation Secretary Tony Tata said in a statement.

Most regular driver license services, including regular road tests, will be offered during the added hours, except for commercial driver's license and motorcycle skills tests and medical re-exams. Also, regular road tests won't be administered during rush hour.

The DMV will continue phasing in the extended hours at other offices statewide in the coming months, beginning with offices in Durham and Fayetteville and a second Charlotte office in April.

No new staff is being added, and the schedules of existing DMV workers will rotate to cover the additional hours, officials said.

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Maybe what they should do is close on mondays and be be open tuesday through Saturday. Actually almost ALL government facilities should operate in that manner. At least that way, people that can not easily take time away from their job, has an opportunity to get stuff done on a Saturday. I will say my last trip to DMV was a pleasant surprise. I had to renew my license. I was in and out in 15 minutes. I don't like the receiving it in the mail deal though but I do like the 8 year between renewals. NOw they need to get rid of renewing plates. That should be a one time expense when you first register a car. There is NO reason to have to keep renewing plates. We also need to be rid of PROPERTY taxes on vehicles. That is an obscenity.

whatelseisnew
February 25, 2013 6:49 p.m.

downtowner, meet tux. tux, downtowner.

But yes, I agree. It's a pilot program. Try it. If it helps, great. If not, cancel it. What is the harm in trying something (anything!) to provide better service? Oh, right, it's a Republican idea....bad.

beaupeep
February 25, 2013 4:04 p.m.

I have never met a person who does not complain about going to the DMV. I think taking steps to address the various customer service issues they have is a step in the right direction. We all deserve much better for our tax dollars.

downtowner
February 25, 2013 3:39 p.m.

I hope the "additional hours" doesn't include overtime. How can they afford to run 5 1/2 days a week, oh yeah, by raising costs to the consumer. This has disaster written all over, hand in hand with the collection of county taxes by the state that will then be transferred to each respective county. I see short falls coming to the counties when the state says, "oops, we don't have the money to pay you your respective taxes, we have another highway to build"...

Offshore
February 25, 2013 2:41 p.m.

"Every IT guy in state government should be fired. And yes, I'm about to have to go get my license renewed and I DO have a 'tude. It just irritates me to no end when the state has a way to be more efficient and refuses to budge."

For one thing, regular IT guys in state government have no control over what type of equipment is provided; it's a lot better than it was just five years ago. Another thing, every time I go to the DMV license renewal office in Clayton it's nearly empty and I'm in and out in less than ten minutes.