Long lines and wait times at the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) have now gotten a little bit worse for California motorists.
According to a recent report appearing on the NBC Los Angeles website, some residents who are trying to renew driver’s licenses or vehicle registrations are finding those tasks especially frustrating. Two weeks ago, the DMV shut down closed 176 of its field offices around the state due to the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus or COVID-19.
Investigators from NBC’s I-team questioned whether DMV offices may be a breeding ground and transmission hot-spot for the virus. The state agency found that there had been some confirmed cases of COVID-19 that were associated with DMV offices.
As a safer way for motorists to take care of routine tasks like license and vehicle-renewal, the DMV said that it would expand virtual services so that Californians could remain safe at home.
Though the system promises a safe alternative, some DMV employees have not yet been trained on the new system. This has caused some residents like Rob Baker frustration.
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Even though Baker has a clean driving record, he told NBC that when he had recently attempted to renew his license using the DMV’s online services, he received a message: “You are not eligible for internet renewal.” Baker is not alone. On the DMV’s Facebook page, other users are complaining about similar issues.
Upon further investigation, DMV employees told NBC reporters that they are still waiting to be trained and that the virtual DMV is not set up to handle virtual transactions.
Reporters reached out to the DMV asking to speak to a representative from the agency about the ongoing issues with the virtual renewal processes. So far, the DMV has not responded to the request.
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