The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles is under fire for driver's license offices that are not open to the public. This comes as long wait times are reported at many offices across the state.
The site known as the “Model Office” has been open since January. The DMV uses it to test equipment and other technology for driver's licenses. Some state employees and their guests have used it to get their REAL ID.
According to the News and Observer, a list of state employees who signed up for August includes senior employees from Governor Roy Cooper's Office, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and staff from the Department of Transportation.
The DMV says it's been engaged in targeted outreach as part of an effort to get REAL IDs to North Carolinians who need them ahead of the federal deadline of October 2020.
In a statement, DMV officials say they've also been working with several of the state's largest employers by providing mobile sites to help their employees get REAL IDs. Bank of America, the city of Charlotte, and Pfizer are among those that have used the service.
The agency says it has stopped providing REAL IDs to state employees at DMV Headquarters.
“DMV is not currently providing REAL IDs to state employees at DMV Headquarters, and will complete the last of the scheduled appointments at other major employers at the end of August,” says NCDMV spokesman John Brockwell. “As conditions allow, DMV plans to again offer REAL ID services using mobile units at locations across the state."
To date, about 6,200 employees, including 411 state employees, have received REAL IDs using the services provided by DMV's mobile units and its temporary office, according to agency officials.
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