ROCK HILL - Mary Bailey has never gotten many customer compliments on the job.

After all, she works at the S.C. Division of Motor Vehicles, which has been notorious for its long lines and spotty service.

But, with the recently implemented changes at DMV offices statewide, just about every person who visits has something nice to say to Bailey.

Stationed at a new desk inside the entrance at the Hands Mill Road office on the edge of Rock Hill, Bailey is one of the veteran employees now greeting people at the 39 busiest branches in the state. It's part of an effort to ease logjams that have left some customers waiting in line for hours.

"Well," said a shocked Lisa Holt of Clover, as she walked through the door with her daughter to renew her driver's license. "I'm impressed."

"Well, thank you," responded Bailey, a six-year DMV employee whose sugary drawl might soothe any customer's fears lingering from previous DMV experiences.

Lake Wiley resident Waverly Burton expressed similar sentiments when he also visited Wednesday.

"It's unbelievable," he said of his visit, which took less than 15 minutes. "It really did make my day."

But not all encounters are that short. Despite a greeter and seven attendants at the counter, the wait topped an hour at times Wednesday with nearly 100 people flooding the office about 1 p.m., according to the DMV.

The improvements, which include temporary Saturday hours at six locations in the state and Web-based transactions, are among a slew of changes made recently to address customer complaints.

For years DMV has been under pressure to upgrade, but the implementation of the new computer system last summer actually made things worse for a while, extending the lines even farther out the door.

The computer program and the new services are part of Project Phoenix, a five-year plan designed to overhaul DMV's technology and business practices.

The Hands Mill Road location exemplifies problems experienced at branches across the state. It had the third longest average waiting time Tuesday. York County's other DMV office at the County Complex wasn't much better, with an average wait time of 45 minutes, tied for seventh worst in the state.

To decrease waiting times, Saturday hours and Web services begin this weekend.

The Hands Mill Road branch where Bailey works will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and the DMV's Web site, www.scdps.org/dmv/, can process some transactions starting Sunday, with more transactions to be available soon. (See box.)

Marsha Adams, a finance department employee at the state DMV office, said keeping the Rock Hill office open on Saturday will cost about $3,000 each weekend.

The extra day is only a pilot program that will last through the month of August to help decrease lines during the busy summer months.

DMV officials will decide later whether to make the change permanent, said Sherri Iacobelli, an administrator at the S.C. Department of Public Safety. "With the budget situation being what it is, I don't know if (continuing the Saturday hours) will be feasible," she said.

Even though the compliments are rolling in, Bailey said, the new services aren't foolproof.

"People still have to fill out forms, and they don't like doing that," she said. "I have lost about 300 pens today because of it."

But when a customer handed her a pen on the way out, Bailey's jaw dropped. "Now that's a compliment."

Timeline of New Services

Monday

• Greeters began to meet customers at 39 of the state's busiest offices, including Rock Hill area branch in Newport on Hands Mill Road.

This Saturday

• DMV's Saturday hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., begin at six locations in different regions of the state. The only branch here open Saturday is Hands Mill Road office. Phone: (803) 329-6332.

Sunday

• Limited Internet-based transactions start at DMV's Web site, www.scdps.org/dmv/,

June 18

• Identification cards, duplicate driver's licenses and registration cards can be obtained from the Web site.

June 30

• Online, customers can renew licenses, complete address change forms and change of registration forms.

July 7

• All DMV branches should be equipped to accept credit cards. Both York County locations already have the technology, a feature that is currently active at 45 of the 68 state DMV offices.