Bucco to Murphy: Long Lines Persist, MVC Is Still Broken

Calls for Plan from Governor to Enact Real Solutions Like Scheduled Appointments, Expanded Online Services

Senator Anthony M. Bucco said the continued long lines at MVC facilities in Randolph and across New Jersey make it clear that the Murphy administration needs to implement real solutions to better serve drivers.

“Despite Governor Murphy’s insistence that everything’s under control again at the MVC, nothing could be further from the truth,” said Bucco (R-25). “Six weeks after agencies reopened for business, people are still lining up in the middle of the night for a chance to get through the door. Drivers shouldn’t have to arrive at the MVC before dawn to guarantee they’ll be successful in obtaining their license, registration, or title.”

The administration never responded to Bucco’s prescient warning in May that MVC agencies would be overwhelmed upon reopening, nor did they produce the strategic plan he requested to prevent the current chaos.

Instead, the governor has recently pointed to small steps such as putting some printable forms online that can be filled out in advance of a visit to the MVC as proof that he’s serious about cutting through the massive backlog that resulted from agencies being closed for business for nearly four months due to the coronavirus.

“It ludicrous for the governor to suggest that the two minutes saved by filling out a form at home makes a big difference to someone who’s still forced to wait in line for eight or ten hours at the MVC,” Bucco said. “We need much more than half measures to address the long lines that were endemic even before COVID-19 hit. The governor’s strategic failures during this crisis have only made a trip to the MVC even more frustrating and difficult for drivers to navigate.”

In response to the long lines, Bucco said drivers have repeatedly called for the ability to conduct more business completely online and to schedule appointments for transactions that require a visit to an MVC agency.

“While drivers are telling us exactly how to solve the problem of long lines, it doesn’t seem like Governor Murphy is even listening,” added Bucco. “What we need from him is a real plan to enact these thoughtful solutions, even if it’s something that will take time or money to implement. Unfortunately, all we’re getting at this point are excuses, and the endless lines continue.”