DMV vendor still fixing bugs, online services in the works

Brendan Riley

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2000 | 8:49 a.m.

CARSON CITY, Nev. - The company that built the state DMV's new Genesis computer system is still working on 17 serious bugs identified several weeks ago - but nearly 300 other bugs have been fixed since then.

Deputy DMV Director Ginny Lewis gave the bug-repair report Tuesday to a legislative panel reviewing the problem-plagued system - noting that all repairs were covered by a warranty agreement with Deloitte Consulting.

There are other serious bugs not covered under the warranty, but Lewis didn't have a count on those. She promised the legislative subcommittee that she'd deliver the number later this week.

Assemblyman Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, who chairs the subcommittee, asked for the update on the $35 million system, which is running better after some major startup problems last September.

Things got so bad at DMV offices after the Genesis startup that Nevada drivers got 30-day grace periods so they wouldn't be ticketed for driving with outdated plates. More DMV staffers were hired and a hotline was set up.

Because of computer problems, many motorists were forced to stand in long lines, some for up to eight hours, at DMV offices to conduct routine business.

While many problems have been solved, Beers said the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety system is still causing hassles for some. He noted one case in which someone registering a bus got back a title for a boat.

Asked for assurances that problems are being dealt with, Lewis said that as they come up "we fix them."

The subcommittee also was told that work on an Internet system for vehicle registrations and license renewals is progressing, with a goal of a late-April startup of those services.

Gov. Kenny Guinn, who inherited the Genesis system, has pressed for the Internet access as a way to shorten lines at DMV offices around the state. Registrations at emission stations also are planned.