FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 1, 2002

CONTACT: SID GAULDEN, 803-896-8755

DMV STATEWIDE AVERAGE WAIT TIME DOWN TO 20 MINUTES

COLUMBIA – The South Carolina Department of Public Safety Division of Motor Vehicles reports that the statewide average wait time at its branch offices is now down to 20 minutes.

“We have seen lines and wait times steadily decrease since the installation of our new Project Phoenix computer system at the beginning of August,” said DMV Deputy Director David Burgis. “The system is working well and our employees are becoming much more comfortable with the new technology.”

The Project Phoenix technology upgrade required offices across to the state to offer limited services July 29-31, close August 1-2 and re-open on a staggered basis August 5-8. The backlog of work created by the conversion downtime resulted in abnormally long lines and wait times in offices across the state.

“We promised our customers that the lines and associated wait times would indeed get shorter as the backlog was eliminated,” Burgis said. “Statewide, the average wait time is now just 20 minutes, something we never would have been able to achieve without Project Phoenix.”

The Division of Motor Vehicles is a division of the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, which also includes the Criminal Justice Academy, Highway Patrol, Office of Highway Safety, State Transport Police, Bureau of Protective Services and Office of Justice Programs. DPS has  more than 2,600 employees in offices statewide. Our mission is to ensure public safety by protecting and serving the people of South Carolina and its visitors.

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JB/132/2002

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