Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Pilot Program Allows Customers To Skip BMV Line

Karen Kasler

State officials are testing out a new online checking system in one of the places that tends to get the biggest complaints about long waits – the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler reports.

The “Get In Line, Online” system has been in development since last year.

It allows users to log on to the Ohio BMV site and select the service they want and one of 12 pilot sites they want to visit. They’ll then get a four-hour window to check in and skip ahead toward the front of the line.

BMV registrar Charles Norman said the system will provide new data on wait times – to the state and to customers.

“With the new system, when they go online, they’ll be able to see what are my ten closest agencies and exactly what are the wait times at those agencies," Norman said.

Norman said this could cut down wait times for some of the estimated 16 million transactions the BMV conducts each year. If it’s successful, it could expand to more of the state’s 186 deputy registrar locations.

The sites right now are:

22125 Rockside Rd., Bedford

104 W. Spring Valley Rd., Centerville

1583 Alum Creek Drive, Columbus

112 Dillmont Drive, Columbus

2970 Hayden Run Plaza, Columbus

4503 Kenny Road, Columbus

4161 West Broad Street, Columbus

5287 Westpointe Plaza, Columbus

8210 County Rd. 140 Suite A, Findlay

3040 Southwest Blvd., Grove City

4740 Cemetery Road, Hilliard

17 Cherri Park Square, Westerville

The Statehouse News Bureau was founded in 1980 to provide educational, comprehensive coverage of legislation, elections, issues and other activities surrounding the Statehouse to Ohio's public radio and television stations. To this day, the Bureau remains the only broadcast outlet dedicated to in-depth coverage of state government news and topics of statewide interest. The Bureau is funded througheTech Ohio, and is managed by ideastream. The reporters at the Bureau follow the concerns of the citizens and voters of Ohio, as well as the actions of the Governor, the Ohio General Assembly, the Ohio Supreme Court, and other elected officials. We strive to cover statehouse news, government issues, Ohio politics, and concerns of business, culture and the arts with balance and fairness, and work to present diverse voices and points of view from the Statehouse and throughout Ohio. The three award-winning journalists at the bureau have more than 60 combined years of radio and television experience. They can be heard on National Public Radio and are regular contributors to Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Marketplace. Every weekday, the Statehouse News Bureau produces in-depth news reports forOhio's public radio stations. Those stories are also available on this website, either on the front page or in our archives. Weekly, the Statehouse News Bureau produces a television show from our studios in the Statehouse. The State of Ohio is an unique blend of news, interviews, talk and analysis, and is broadcast on Ohio's public television stations. The Statehouse News Bureau also produces special programming throughout the year, including the Governor's annual State of the State address to the Ohio General Assembly and a five-part year-end review.
Related Content