No DMV appointments in Las Vegas Valley til new system is rolled out

Nevada residents looking to schedule an appointment ahead of their visit to an area Department of Motor Vehicles office will have to wait in line instead.

The appointment service was suspended as of Jan. 1 in order for the DMV to transition to a new lobby management system, which has yet to be put into place statewide, according to agency spokesman Kevin Malone. He couldn’t say when the service would be available again in the Las Vegas Valley.

“We are bringing in a new vendor to provide a better system, giving us more capabilities and options than the previous vendor could,” Malone said. “The old contract expired Dec. 31 and the new system is a little behind. “

A pilot of the new system, developed by Swedish company Qmatic, began in the Reno office Monday, with installation at the other offices to follow if the test run is successful.

“This new system will bring an increase of available appointments in our four metro Las Vegas, Reno and Carson City offices, which will be great for the citizens of Nevada who have to come into a DMV,” Malone said. “So far everything is going smoothly and we are on track for a roll out in the near future.”

In the meantime, customers need to take a number and wait to be directed to a service window. But Malone said wait times for customers without appointments so far have typically been less than they were previously for walk-in service.

Before heading to a DMV office Malone recommends visiting their website first, as several functions don’t require a person to step foot in a office to carry out.

“We offer two dozen online transactions,” he said. “The DMV also has 27 kiosk locations in the valley that offer registration renewals and driver history reports.”

If a service requires a DMV visit, having the proper documents and forms ready to go will ensure the quickest possible visit.

The line at the Sahara Avenue location fluctuated around noon Thursday, but as it built up toward going out the door, it quickly dissipated.

Benjamin Prowse, a three-year resident of Las Vegas who visited the location to get his driver’s license reinstated, said he was ready to spend a few hours conducting his business, but was in and out fairly quickly.

“I was expecting to be miserable, but I only waited maybe 10 or 15 minutes,” Prowse said. “I’m from New York, so you wait way longer there. This was a breeze.”

Despite the brisk visit to the DMV this time around, Prowse, 26, said once the appointment system is back up and running, he would take advantage of such a service.

“Yeah, for sure,” he said. “I’m for anything that will speed things up.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.