Department of Public Safety cuts services to decrease wait
In an effort to increase efficiency at the Department of Public Safety’s four busiest driver’s license facilities, the department will no longer reinstate suspended licenses or process driving record requests in those offices.
Four offices in Garland, Universal City, Houston and Austin are the only locations in the state that offer these services, and according to spokeswoman Tela Mange, they have some of the longest wait times. Workers at those offices who currently deal with license reinstatement and driving record requests will be reassigned to other duties.
“Those offices are in very busy cities, and we believe that it will positively affect customer satisfaction and help us reduce wait times because there will be more people available to wait on people wanting to renew their licenses or get new licenses,” Mange said.
The changes will take effect Oct. 29 except in the Austin office, which will change its policy on Oct. 30. Texans who need these services can visit the Texas Department of Public Safety Web site. Processing for both services was previously available online and will still take about seven to 10 days to finish. This means those who need a driving record for a court appearance must plan ahead.
Mange said the department hopes to create a system that would make it possible to order and download a driving record instantly, but it is still in the planning stages.
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