Mass. RMV offices slowed by transition to new software
By
Brian Lee
Telegram & Gazette Staff
Posted Mar 27, 2018 at 8:35 PM
Updated Mar 27, 2018 at 9:30 PM
WORCESTER - Vermont transplant Shad Orechovesky figured a trip to the
Registry of Motor Vehicles on Main Street on “a random Tuesday morning”
wouldn’t have him waiting too long for a new driver’s license.
Mr. Orechovesky couldn’t have been more wrong.
He said he waited a whopping four hours to complete the transaction.
The smile on Mr. Orechovesky’s face belied the excessive wait.
“I wasn’t really expecting to be here for four hours,” he said. “It was long. I’m on vacation this week, so I figured I might as well get it out of the way.”
Delays have been reported at RMV offices throughout the state after the agency’s switch over the weekend to a new computer system.
The new system, called ATLAS, began to offer driver’s licenses and identification cards that comply with a new federal security standard.
As a result of the change, customers have to bring more documents, including proof of U.S. citizenship or their lawful presence in the U.S.
U.S. citizens are forced to present a valid, unexpired U.S. passport or a certified copy of their U.S. birth certificate.
Permanent residents need to bring a valid permanent resident card, or green card.
Mr. Orechovesky said he needed a new license because he will be in the Worcester area for a while.
He brought his passport, his Vermont driver’s license, W-2 forms, bank statements, and, thankfully, a book to read.
He was asked to compare his RMV experience here to the Green Mountain State’s Department of Motor Vehicles.
“It’s an hour, tops,” he said of wait times in Vermont. “Even at the DMV in Montpelier, the state capital, it’s nothing like in there.”
Jacqueline Gill of Marlboro cursed as she described her experience at the RMV Tuesday.
Ms. Gill sought to renew her driver’s license, but said she was turned away because she didn’t bring all the required documents. She said she will need the REAL ID driver’s license because she has to enter federal buildings for work.
Ms. Gill said she didn’t bring a Social Security card, birth certificate and proof of where she lives, requirements she called “BS.”
She added that the registry “online wasn’t specific about what you
need,” and she urged the agency to “clarify what they want us to do.”
Gov. Charles D. Baker Jr. spoke to reporters about the delays and longer lines some drivers experienced.
“The system itself, the technology piece, worked exactly as anticipated,” Mr. Baker said. “That’s the good news, and about half the people who went in (Monday) got in and out in less than an hour.
That’s also good. But for many other people, for whom the new requirements are more significant than they used to be, and for the registry in passing and dealing with those new requirements, people had to wait longer than they would have otherwise been expected to wait.”
In an e-mailed statement, state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jacqueline Goddard said the software has been working.
“Standard and REAL ID credentials have been issued and customer service center employees report that in contrast to (Monday), an increased number of customers are arriving with applications already filled out, with required documents in hand and, in general, customers seem to have a heightened awareness that federal and state law now requires specific information to receive credentials.”
Ms. Goddard also noted that RMV service staff became more confident using the new system Tuesday.
As of noon Tuesday, she said approximately 2,741 customers had been served, compared with 2,303 customers at the same time Monday.
Also important to note, Ms. Goddard said, is that at noon Monday
there were 2,083 customers waiting, while at noon Tuesday that number
was 1,327.
“Customer wait time experience will vary by location and by the transaction the customer seeks, so the RMV encourages the public to see if they can complete their RMV business entirely online and avoid a trip to a service center.”
Customers who need to renew a credential that expires this month should go online to prepare, she said.
But the delays appeared to affect customers who arrived for other routine transactions.
Donna Moran of Worcester said she spent just five minutes in the RMV clearing up a registration issue for her leased vehicle.
But she spent more than a half hour circling the parking lot looking for a spot.
“It’s insane,” she said. “I hate - detest - this.”
Asked how the agency could improve customer service, she said: “They need a bigger place where they can do this, and more parking. I appreciate the fact that they’ve made a lot of it online now.
That’s really good. But it’s not enough. There are too many people with cars, and not enough help.”
Mr. Orechovesky couldn’t have been more wrong.
He said he waited a whopping four hours to complete the transaction.
The smile on Mr. Orechovesky’s face belied the excessive wait.
“I wasn’t really expecting to be here for four hours,” he said. “It was long. I’m on vacation this week, so I figured I might as well get it out of the way.”
Delays have been reported at RMV offices throughout the state after the agency’s switch over the weekend to a new computer system.
The new system, called ATLAS, began to offer driver’s licenses and identification cards that comply with a new federal security standard.
As a result of the change, customers have to bring more documents, including proof of U.S. citizenship or their lawful presence in the U.S.
U.S. citizens are forced to present a valid, unexpired U.S. passport or a certified copy of their U.S. birth certificate.
Mr. Orechovesky said he needed a new license because he will be in the Worcester area for a while.
He brought his passport, his Vermont driver’s license, W-2 forms, bank statements, and, thankfully, a book to read.
He was asked to compare his RMV experience here to the Green Mountain State’s Department of Motor Vehicles.
“It’s an hour, tops,” he said of wait times in Vermont. “Even at the DMV in Montpelier, the state capital, it’s nothing like in there.”
Jacqueline Gill of Marlboro cursed as she described her experience at the RMV Tuesday.
Ms. Gill sought to renew her driver’s license, but said she was turned away because she didn’t bring all the required documents. She said she will need the REAL ID driver’s license because she has to enter federal buildings for work.
Ms. Gill said she didn’t bring a Social Security card, birth certificate and proof of where she lives, requirements she called “BS.”
Gov. Charles D. Baker Jr. spoke to reporters about the delays and longer lines some drivers experienced.
“The system itself, the technology piece, worked exactly as anticipated,” Mr. Baker said. “That’s the good news, and about half the people who went in (Monday) got in and out in less than an hour.
That’s also good. But for many other people, for whom the new requirements are more significant than they used to be, and for the registry in passing and dealing with those new requirements, people had to wait longer than they would have otherwise been expected to wait.”
In an e-mailed statement, state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jacqueline Goddard said the software has been working.
“Standard and REAL ID credentials have been issued and customer service center employees report that in contrast to (Monday), an increased number of customers are arriving with applications already filled out, with required documents in hand and, in general, customers seem to have a heightened awareness that federal and state law now requires specific information to receive credentials.”
Ms. Goddard also noted that RMV service staff became more confident using the new system Tuesday.
As of noon Tuesday, she said approximately 2,741 customers had been served, compared with 2,303 customers at the same time Monday.
“Customer wait time experience will vary by location and by the transaction the customer seeks, so the RMV encourages the public to see if they can complete their RMV business entirely online and avoid a trip to a service center.”
Customers who need to renew a credential that expires this month should go online to prepare, she said.
But the delays appeared to affect customers who arrived for other routine transactions.
Donna Moran of Worcester said she spent just five minutes in the RMV clearing up a registration issue for her leased vehicle.
But she spent more than a half hour circling the parking lot looking for a spot.
“It’s insane,” she said. “I hate - detest - this.”
Asked how the agency could improve customer service, she said: “They need a bigger place where they can do this, and more parking. I appreciate the fact that they’ve made a lot of it online now.
That’s really good. But it’s not enough. There are too many people with cars, and not enough help.”
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