My driver’s license expires in a few months, and I’ve been dreading the process of renewing. When Meda last renewed, it involved a frantic search for an available appointment somewhere on the island, repeated several times a day over a number of days until I finally found her an available time in the Chinatown satellite city hall some weeks ahead. Then there were confusing and ambiguous instructions on what paperwork was needed. It wasn’t pleasant.
But this time around, I was very pleasantly surprised at how smoothly it all went. I had no problem finding an appointment. I was able to couple it with our annual visit to King’s Windward Nissan to have our 1-year old Leaf checked out. First the car, then across the street to the Windward City satellite city hall for the license renewal.
That was the theory. And, happily, it all went without a hitch.
I arrived at the satellite city hall a few minutes early, and was greeted inside the door by someone who checked my appointment and then directed me to a small seating area way up front. I sat for perhaps three minutes, and then was called up to the counter. I was armed with my application filled out and printed in advance using an online form, a vision report from my eye doctor certifying that I don’t need glasses to drive, and the $10 needed for the fee.
After a couple of minutes tapping at her computer, the clerk sent me over a few steps to have my picture taken. And then there was perhaps a minute wait, and a temporary paper license was printed and in hand, and I was out the door and on my way. In several weeks, my updated license should arrive in the mail.
I’m pretty sure the whole process took no more than six minutes from the time I entered.
There was a long period during which the licensing process was broken. No more!
Sometimes the city can get it right. It seems to me this is one of those times.
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What the City has given, the State might take away. Before your equanimity gets too far out of control, check HB1822
https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1822&year=2022
I wonder what were the amendments they made; hopefully they adopted the Senate’s companion bill.
Those over the age of 70 will REVOLT and be extremely MAD at being questioned about one’s mental / physical state.
Well, I’m now in that cohort, and was not questioned on those topics. Perhaps that depends on observations by the clerks when you appear?
It is currently proposed legislation. Bill link posted by Ken.
Your, suggestion is a much more reasonable. As Medical Doctors, have no time for more regulation, creating another bureaucratic division.
I was pleasantly surprised with a similar experience a month or so ago. Very easy and convenient. I am hopeful that the physician certification for drivers over 70 or 72 is eliminated from future legislation. Aside from the hassle of getting the certification, physicians may be reluctant to provide certification because of the possibility of liability in the event of a collision causing injury or death. Also, the lack of guidelines for physicians is concerning.
Also the medical review Committee must pass judgement on the physicians’ certifications. The committee meets monthly but often can’t get a quorum necessary to act since they aren’t paid. The last time I renewed I was given two two-month extensions in a row before gaining this clearance..
My recent visit to the same Chinatown (Downtown) Satellite City Hall to renew vehicle registration was not so pleasant.
The city website shows that an “express window” is available there for that transaction and that no appointment is needed. I arrived just as another customer was walking in, but as I followed him inside an unpleasant woman barked at me to wait outside until I was called. After she slammed the door in my face without so much as an “I’ll be right with you, thank you for waiting,” (and certainly no invitation to take a seat inside to wait) I noticed that the back of the door, which had not been visible when the door was open, has a stop sign design advising that appointments are required and that customers having appointments must wait outside until they are called. No signage acknowledged the existence of or provided any information whatsoever about the “express window” or how to find it or proceed. None on the website either. I checked while waiting.
Eventually, the woman returned and asked whether I had an appointment. I explained that I was looking for the “express window,” at which point she took my name, and closed the door on me again. A few minutes later she returned and brusquely ordered me to sanitize my hands and go to the appropriate window. There was no line, and the woman at the window was coolly efficient, which was fine. The transaction took about a minute. There was one other person finishing up in another line, and that’s it. Yes, we need to keep safe etc. but this empty city facility was ridiculous and far detached from the reality in every grocery store, bus, school, and most other public spaces. It’s like they choose to order people around and keep them out simply because they can.
People should also know that there is a sizable “service charge” for making payment with a credit card, which is calculated as a percentage of the vehicle registration weight fee. In my case, this charge was nearly $10, on top of the already extortionate registration fee, which is far higher than in other states. Fortunately I had my checkbook and was able to pay by check and avoid the service charge. This service charge is also charged at the vehicle registration kiosks that are available at a few grocery stores around town, and when paying online. So why not just pay by mail? The last time I did so, it took nearly two weeks for my registration sticker to arrive. The time before that, it never did arrive and I ended up having to go to a satellite city hall to obtain a duplicate, for a fee of course.
So my advice to the city is that if you are going to offer a service, such as an express window, install some rudimentary signage to acknowledge that service and instruct customers how to proceed.
If you don’t provide any direction whatsoever regarding a service and have an unusual and stringent waiting policy, it is not the customer’s fault for not knowing how to proceed. So don’t treat them like a nuisance or unwanted intruder, especially if they’re simply trying to pay a bill. Is this really so hard to understand? Does nobody there have the common sense to tape up a simple note or alter the existing one? Apparently not.
And the City Council or Legislature or whoever needs to take a good look at the ridiculously high cost of vehicle registration and roll it back to something fair and affordable. And eliminate the credit card “service fee.” We don’t pay that fee when using a credit card at the grocery store or the gas station, so it’s hard to see how it’s justifiable for the city to charge it.
This is exactly the type of small but important stuff that makes everyday people really resent government and the folks who run it. I was good and pissed after my experience. Can you tell?
I always had a great experience at Windward City Satellite. This past year I renewed early on Halloween. What fun! Greeted by costumed greeters, served by Sunny & Cher. They made my day.
Had a totally fast, efficient and pleasant DL renewal experience during the pandemic at the Kapolei licensing center.
One feather for C&C HNL’s cap.
Now if only the Hawaii Humane Society would go back to walk-in, same day cat fixing again instead of their appointment system, then all would truly be well!