System tested to ease waits at license offices

City officials hope a pilot program started last week at the Division of Motor Vehicles office in Kaneohe will eventually help ease the frustrating, excessive waits that residents encounter at motor vehicle branches across Oahu.

The $5,000 yearlong program lets DMV customers take a number, then sit and wait to be helped (or leave and return if they opt to risk it) instead of standing in line. Customers are helped on a first-come, first-served basis — but the numbers they pull will be in random order so people don’t try to sell them to others facing a longer wait, according to city Customer Services Director Sheri Kaji­wara. Staffers at the counter will know which number is next.

"We got reports of huge lines down at all DMV’s. Unacceptable lines — four, five hours long," Mayor Kirk Caldwell said Tuesday, unveiling the number system with Kaji­wara. He called the status quo at the offices unacceptable. "This is one of the few times people actually interface with the City and County of Hono­lulu, and the experience should be much better."

The new number system doesn’t provide visitors with an estimated wait time, but Kaji­wara said the city plans to work with the system vendor, Connecticut-based Motor Vehicle Network, to try to add that feature.

The city will start the system at the island’s four other main branches as well if it is considered effective after a year, she added.

The program at the Kaneohe Koo­lau location mimics queue­less wait systems that have already operated for years on the mainland, including in California. Caldwell said he couldn’t speak for previous city administrations as to why such a system is just starting in Hawaii.

It’s his administration’s latest step to deal with service problems at motor vehicle offices. Earlier this year the city installed live webcams so residents could gauge the crowds at each branch. The city also created what Caldwell called "triage" desks, where visitors can check in and make sure they have all the needed paperwork before standing in the main line.

Also on Tuesday city officials unveiled what they hope will be a user-friendly online guide, recently added to the city’s website, for residents to determine ahead of time what documents they’ll need to get a state driver’s license or state ID card. The online guide takes visitors through the process step by step, and can be accessed via a link on the Hono­lulu.gov home page.

"It’s about creating convenience," Caldwell said Tuesday. "It’s about being light-touch and customer-friendly."