Editorial: Customer service gets more priority

Wednesday, April 26, 2000 | 9:37 a.m.

The state Department of Motor Vehicles came under scorching criticism last year for bungling its rollout of a new computer system, which was supposed to reduce long lines but had the unintended effect of creating waiting times that often lasted hours -- if not a full day. Gradually, though, the long lines at the DMV have receded somewhat as the bugs are worked out of the computer system and employees become more adept following additional training.

Now the agency is taking other steps that have the potential to make it easier to conduct business with the DMV. The department announced earlier this week that a test pilot project, which allows people to renew their vehicle registrations at the same time they get their smog check (instead of having to mail in the renewal request after passing the test), has been well received so far. This one-stop shopping also will be enhanced by the DMV's decision to allow renewals of driver's licenses and car registration over the Internet and telephone. The DMV still has more work to do in reducing the long lines at its offices, but recent signs show that it is working to be a more customer-friendly agency.