They will be extended on Thurs. and Sat.
Glen Burnie, Md (KM). Hours have been extended at Motor Vehicle Administration offices around Maryland. Administrator Chrissy Nizer says the offices will be open until 6:30 PM on Thursdays, and from 8:00 AM until 12:00 noon on Saturdays.
She says the decision to extend hours was made following feedback from MVA customers. “We did a survey just to see whether the hours were convenience, if different times might be preferable,” says Nizer. “And we had over 70% of the survey respondents say that they would appreciate having evening hours as an alternative.”
The extended hours took affect last Thursday, January 3rd, and Saturday, January 5th. “We know some people have jobs that they just can’t take off. They don’t have leave, and even coming on a Saturday can be challenging. So we wanted to offer these evening hours and extended hours on Saturday as another option,” Nizer says.
But she acknowledges that some MVA employees may not be happy with these new hours. “We’ve worked with the union and the employees, offering individuals to volunteer for those new hours first, and then on a scheduling basis,” says Nizer. “Certainly, we understand it’s a bit of a change. But we’ve tried to do it in the best way we can working with the employees.”
Citizens can also conduct a lot their MVA business on line, or at 24-hour kiosks. But Nizer says there are some transactions which need to be conducted at local offices.
If the extended hours prove to be successful, Nizer was asked if they could be extended to other days of the week. “Certainly, we always evaluate how it’s working. We want to look and see whether customers respond to it; whether we have the volume during that time; and really whether it merits any additional changes. But we always evaluate to make sure that we’re meeting customers’ needs,” she says.
By Kevin McManus