Many California DMV Offices to Accept ATM/Debit Cards

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--Nov. 2, 20052, 2005--The California Department of Motor Vehicles announced today that 92 of its field offices, comprising the largest, high volume offices, will soon begin accepting ATM/debit cards. "This new convenience will provide faster service and should further reduce lines and wait times," said Business, Transportation and Housing Secretary Sunne Wright McPeak. "The addition of electronic payments adds another service that customers appreciate in today's increasingly electronic world. It's yet another step toward fulfilling Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's vision of a 21st century customer-oriented government."

Currently, most DMV field offices accept only cash, check or money orders. But every week, an increasing number of field offices will be accepting ATM/debit cards until 92 offices have the new service by January 16. Traditional credit cards will continue to be accepted only for Internet and telephone transactions. The new service at selected field offices applies only to ATM/debit cards with manually entered PIN numbers.

DMV Chief Deputy Director Ken Miyao said, "In addition to the extra convenience, we believe the acceptance of ATM/debit cards at no additional charge will save time and eliminate delays for customers who otherwise might have to leave the field office in the middle of a transaction to get cash from an ATM."

During a recent debit card trial run at DMV's San Francisco field office, an overwhelming 89% of customers said they appreciated the convenience and favored expanding the service to more offices throughout the state.

"This project is the latest in a long series of customer service improvements by the department," said Miyao. "We've slashed field office wait times from over an hour to 20 minutes. Telephone wait times are down from over five minutes to a little over two minutes, which means more people are able to conduct their business without having to come into a field office. Simply put, excellence in customer service is a top priority at DMV."

For a list of DMV field offices accepting ATM/debit card transactions, visit the DMV Web site: www.dmv.ca.gov.