DMV ‘DashPass’ system will remain in Carson City

The Department of Motor Vehicles has made adjustments to the outside electronic appointment system called “DashPass.”

Director Troy Dillard said the technology allowing customers to set an appointment from outside for tasks such as vehicle registration was designed to enhance customer service. People signed up for an appointment and the system texted or emailed them when it was time to head for the DMV.

“The technology was not as effective as promised once it was put into a real-world environment,” he said.

Dillard said some 20 percent of people who logged into the agency queue and set an appointment never showed up when contacted. As a result, DMV window employees were left waiting for no-shows to arrive.

“It’s a few minutes of time lost per no-show,” he said. “Over the course of an entire day at our five metro offices, that adds up to a lot of lost time.”

Dillard said the two offices where the system was originally shut down — Flamingo and Sahara in Las Vegas — reduced no-shows by 175 customers a day. He said as a result, wait times have actually dropped.

So he ordered outside access to the system cut off at four major Las Vegas offices and Galletti Way in Reno.

But spokesman David Fierro said DashPass is going to remain in operation in Carson City and the state’s rural offices which haven’t experienced as much of a problem.

In addition, DMV is planning to roll out an updated version of the DashPass appointment system in Reno later this year. If it works, that system is going to be expanded statewide.

To further reduce wait times for customers, Dillard said 93 new employees hired July 1 would be trained and working by September.

He said the agency continues to see a steady increase in customers using alternative services including online transactions, kiosks and the Electronic Dealer Report of Sales that allows people to register vehicles and get license plates from the dealer they buy from. There were 1.87 million alternative service transactions in fiscal 2015.

“Ultimately, we want our customers to be able to conduct most of their business with us without a visit to the office,” Dillard said.