Have you dreaded getting your driver’s license renewed because you know it’s going to take up a good part of your day before you’re assisted? Well, in Mississippi, Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell says that it is no longer an issue.
“The average wait time was three hours,” Tindell said on Mornings with Richard Cross. “Now we’re down to about 15 minutes. That’s tremendous.”
Work has been done in recent years to modernize the systems used at driver’s service bureaus statewide, but the upgrades did not come without growing pains. Last year, a system update caused unintended delays at driver’s service stations statewide. This prompted officials to close each Mississippi location for multiple days.
But, to Tindell, the delays were worth it, as Mississippians, on average, don’t have to dedicate lengthy chunks of their day to waiting to be assisted.
“It saves Mississippians a lot of time,” Tindell continued. “They don’t have to take off the entire day of work to go to a driver’s service station to get their credentials renewed.”
License renewals can be handled online through the Department of Public Safety’s self-service portal or at a local renewal kiosk. Renewals can be completed up to six months before expiration or up to one year past expiration.