AIKEN - The Department of Motor Vehicles will open six
offices on Saturdays this summer, including the one in Aiken, to
improve service.
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The
office, on 1755 Richland Ave. in Aiken, will be open from 8:30 a.m.
to 5 p.m. today through August, said Joan Beardsley, a spokeswoman
for the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
"So many people have the typical five-day work week, and it's
very difficult to get to the DMV to conduct business, so this
provides an alternative for people who work during the week to come
in on a Saturday," she said.
Wagener resident Billy Sanders said he approved of the extra
business hours, but wished he'd heard about it sooner because he
used one of his vacation days Friday to get his license renewed.
The extra hours still won't fix some of the problems he says he
has encountered at the office, such aslong lines and discourteous
service.
"I'd rather have my teeth pulled than come here," he said. "I'll
spend half a day up in this place sometimes."
Long wait times have been the main complaint of customers at the
DMV, said Aleasha Couture, who for the past three years has made her
way into the Aiken branch two or three times a week for her job as
an office manager of a local car dealership.
She speculated that lines during the week will become shorter
because of the new Saturday hours. Right now officials estimate wait
times to be around 30 minutes.
"Which is good because some people can't take two hours for
lunch," she said.
At the end of May, officials announced that greeters were to be
added in some of the high-traffic offices to "screen" customers and
make sure they have the right paperwork before stepping into service
lines. Aiken's branch had already implemented the service by Friday.
"I've always said that would be a good idea," Mrs. Couture said.
"People waiting all that time just to find out that they've got the
wrong information is what they get so upset about."
Customers will also be able to conduct some transactions online,
including renewing driver's licenses and notifying a change of
address, by the end of the month, said Ms. Beardsley. By July 7, all
branches will have the capability to accept credit cards.
The department will evaluate the Saturday service at the end of
the summer and decide if it should be continued, Ms. Beardsley said.
Offices will not be open July 5 and August 30 because of state
holiday.
WHERE TO GO
Aiken County DMV Office
1755 Richland Ave., Aiken
(803) 641-7752
Open Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Reach Sara Bancroft at (803) 279-6895 or sara.bancroft@augustachronicle.com.
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