Motor Vehicle Division Customer-Friendly App

By Madhubanti Rudra
TMCnet Contributor

NIC (News - Alert) Inc., is known for its range of eGovernment services that improve the efficiency of government agencies and increase the transparency of governmental procedures. New Mexico’s Motor Vehicle Division has now teamed up with NIC to deliver a new iPhone (News - Alert) application, NM-MVD, for driving license applicants in the state.

Under the current practice, customers are issued a temporary paper license valid for 45 days when they apply for a new driver license or renew their existing licenses. MVD conducts a thorough security check to ensure the applicants have no driving violations, have valid insurance, and are up-to-date with current child support payments, if applicable. This takes approximately two weeks time. The new iPhone application will allow customers to map locations and check wait times at most MVD field offices, and see when a permanent driver license will be received in the mail.

MVD has announced through a press release, that interested applicants can download the new, free application at iTunes, by entering a driver license number and date of birth. The app will give direct access to the information regarding the status of their application. MVD, which receives thousands of phone calls every week from the concerned applicants, who make queries about the status of their driver’s license, has come up with the information tracking app to provide peace of mind to its customers, that their application is being processed and mailed.

“We receive on an average between 2,000 and 3,000 phone calls each week from customers inquiring about the status of their drivers' licenses. With this new service, our customers can use their iPhone to get an immediate response,” commented Michael Sandoval, director of Motor Vehicle Division.

The application is delivered as a part of the collaborative effort between New Mexico's Motor Vehicle Division and New Mexico Interactive, which provides online services to improve public access to government information. New Mexico Interactive is part of eGovernment firm NIC's family of companies.

Here is how, NM-MVD is going to benefit the driver’s license applicants. The application allows users to easily get directions using their native Google (News - Alert) application by simply entering a city or zip code. The iPhone's GPS identifies their current location, charts a route, and provides directions to the office they choose. Estimated field office wait times are also displayed for most state-run offices. This provides customers with the necessary information to visit an office during non-peak hours. This feature was developed to reduce customer frustration caused by waiting in line at an office.