DMV Milford Photo License Center Services Temporarily Suspended

DMV Temporarily Suspends Services at Photo License Centers;
Will Reassign Staff to Help Reduce Wait Times at Branches
 
Transactions in Centers Can Be Done
Online or in AAA Offices Statewide
 
The Department of Motor Vehicles announced today that it will temporarily suspend services immediately at its four photo license centers and will reassign staff to help reduce wait times in major DMV branch offices statewide. The centers operate on a part-time basis and offer limited services.
 
The four centers are: Derby at 12 Main St., Middletown at 386 Main St., Milford at 70 West River St., and Stamford at 137 Henry St.  The Derby and Middletown locations were open Wednesdays and Fridays, and the Milford office was open Tuesdays and Thursdays. Stamford office hours were by appointment only. Suspending services is only temporary and the offices will re-open once the long wait times in other DMV offices subside.
 
“We know it is an inconvenience for those people who use them two days a week, but the staff is needed to help in our other offices where the customer volume is substantially higher,” said DMV Commissioner Andres Ayala, Jr.
 
The centers provided limited services. Customers wanting a duplicate or renewal of a license or ID card should go to AAA offices statewide rather than a DMV branch office. Those seeking registration renewals and duplicates as well as returning or canceling a license plate can go online now at ct.gov/dmv. Customers wanting disabled parking permits, name changes and copies of driving records, which were available at the centers, need to go to a branch office. The Governor and Commissioner have also given extensions, beginning August 11, 2015, to all expiring licenses, registrations and ID card renewals. The extensions end October 10, 2015.
 
DMV this week has warned customers to expect long lines and long waits again this week as both customers and employees become familiar with the new computer upgrade of the agency’s registration computer system.
 
The long lines primarily come from employees adapting to changes in doing complicated and detailed DMV transactions. In the no longer-used 40-year-old system that employees knew well, it took an average of nine minutes per person. It increased to about an average of 16 minutes with the upgraded software, updated computer screens and other changes needed.
 
DMV has also found in the last week thousands of customers came into offices and waited many hours, although they did not need to be there. They could have gone online or taken advantage of the extensions. The department estimated that last week 5,162 customers, (32 percent of all transactions) could have done their transactions online and skipped waiting in line for hours. 
The new online services DMV offers are:
 
• Improved online registration renewal program.
• Online checks for items, such as unpaid property taxes, lack of insurance, delinquent parking violations, which can hold up a registration renewal and cause repeat trips to DMV.
• Reprints of registration certificates from home or other computers.
• Registration cancelations online.
• Online ordering of special plates, such as vanity plates.
• Online ordering of replacements for damaged plates.
• Electronic notification by providing customers with an option for DMV to contact them either by mail or e-mail.
• Streamline efficiency of technology in the agency to with services in branch offices.
 

The DMV also has launched a radio, television and digital advertising campaign called “Gear Up” to make customers aware of the new services.
 
Customers are advised to check the official state website at ct.gov/dmv for the most recent updates. Any other sites may have incorrect information.
 
M
Submitted by Milford, CT

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