
‘No more COVID excuses’ — NJ bill calls out MVC for ‘experiment gone wrong’
⚫ A new bill says NJMVC has to scrap its appointment-only approach
⚫ The proposal goes further than a different bill that advanced last year
⚫ Critics of the move fear it would create long lines and issues on site
A New Jersey Senate committee approved legislation in December that would require Motor Vehicle Commission locations to allow walk-ins two days per week, but a brand new proposal in the Assembly says that first bill doesn't go far enough.
A proposed law that was introduced on Monday by Assemblyman Greg McGuckin, R-Ocean, calls for the NJMVC to drop its requirement that residents make appointments in order to receive services at an agency location.
Under his bill, all MVC locations would have to provide service to walk-in customers at least three full days per week, on a first come, first-served basis.
“The MVC has to stop limiting the public from accessing public services. No more COVID excuses," McGuckin said. “The MVC isn’t a restaurant - you shouldn’t need a reservation to get served.”
McGuckin said the NJMVC is a forward-facing agency, but the current setup is neither customer-focused nor friendly.
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"It is a government experiment gone wrong," he said. "The public shouldn't have to navigate a convoluted system of online appointments and centers."
Online appointments are required
Following a rough return to business after a COVID shutdown, the NJMVC started requiring that appointments be made ahead of time for transactions, as a way to relieve stress at agency locations for both workers and customers.
On the NJMVC website, customers can select which type of services they need and then pick a date and time at an agency location. But in many cases, those appointments may not be available for weeks.
A measure sponsored by Sen. Shirley Turner, D-Mercer, that called for two walk-in days per week was unanimously approved by the Senate Transportation Committee in early December, despite folks in the industry speaking out against the move. They fear it would just reintroduce nightmare lines and other issues that plagued MVC locations not long ago.
The NJMVC told New Jersey 101.5 it does not comment on pending legislation.
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