Nearly a
quarter of California Department of Motor Vehicles offices experienced outages that knocked out credit card machines Friday, adding a new source of frustration for motorists visiting the agency, known for its
long wait times
and computer glitches.
Credit and debit card machines failed to work at 41 of the DMV’s 170 field offices statewide due to unresolved “machine outages,” agency spokesperson Anita Gore said in an email. Customers wanting to pay by credit card were asked to return with cash.
DMV staffers worked to “identify the cause and correct the issue” Friday, Gore said. By Friday the issue had still not been fixed.
The credit card glitch added to the agency’s woes as it works to regain public trust after years of managerial and technological shortcomings.
In response to widespread criticism of the DMV’s operating procedures, Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019 created a task force to “reinvent” the struggling agency, promising to improve its antiquated computer system and cut down on wait times, which in recent years have averaged above two hours. The state
hired the consulting firm
McKinsey & Company to recommend improvements, with funding from a $240 million boost to the DMV budget that year.
The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the credit card machine outage.
At the San Mateo DMV office on Friday, frustrated motorists gave up their places in line or rushed out to get cash when the computer glitch was announced.
It was unclear whether any other Bay Area DMV offices were hit by the glitch.
The agency declined to provide a list of affected offices.
Nora Mishanec is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @NMishanec