By David Cruz
Correspondent
The summer heat is nothing compared to the heat motor vehicle officials have been getting from customers complaining about computer and other glitches that have led to long lines and frustration at MVC sites across the state.
“My experience has always been you never want to go to MVC,” Christie said today. “It’s like not something that you look forward to on your calendar and plan during the week, like, oh, this month I get to go to MVC. Can’t wait; maybe I’ll bring the kids.”
Among the initiatives put forth today were a proposed bill to change license expiration dates to your birthday as opposed to the end of the month, eliminating online transaction fees (in the hopes you’ll be motivated to go online), posting location wait times online (so you know what to expect before you get there), offering online scheduling of driver tests and other appointments (so you don’t have to visit an agency location), launching two mobile units (next year) to handle everything but drivers tests and partnering with AAA for registration renewals.
The governor came here in the middle of the week, in the middle of the day, which most MVC customers will tell you is probably the best time to be here.
“Hopefully they will work. Hopefully, things will go smoother,” said Alice DeNino, who said she would you go online more if she could do it more easily and not have to pay for it. “If I could go online, my life would be much easier.”
Nick Chalez, of Whipanny, said he’s had mostly positive experiences at the Randolph MVC office.
“It’s pretty easy today; we were in and out in like 15 minutes,” he said. “Usually I don’t have a problem here, usually. A couple of the other ones are a little bit slower but so far so good here.”
“I never get a tweet to me saying ‘Just went to the MVC; the line went quickly; my license got done. Thank you so much governor for the enhanced services and the great experience that I had,’ even though we know that the overwhelming majority of transactions go exactly that way,” Christie said. “But the ones I get are the ones with the problems; that’s the job.”
The governor says all of the agency’s staff have received customer service training, on everything from managing computer software to handling customer complaints. While the proposals may get you on the road faster, the shape of the roads — and the status of the fund used to pay for their upkeep — that’s something to be discussed at another time, perhaps Friday when the governor says he will next take questions from the press.