New self-service kiosks are bringing Idaho DMV services to grocery stores across the state.
Currently, six kiosks are available across Idaho, including three in Boise, two in Meridian and one in Coeur d’Alene. The project has been in the works for two years at the DMV and has been up and running since Aug. 31, offering vehicle registration renewal.
Idaho DMV Public Information Officer Britt Rosenthal said “it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to obtaining the things that you need,” Britt Rosenthal, Idaho DMV Public Information Officer, said. “This is just another way to kind of meet people where they’re at.”
Research from Imagineidaho found that 107,000 residents do not have access to the internet.
“Some people would love to do things online, but don’t have internet access,” Rosenthal added, “Just another option to give people.” For junior Keira Sinclair the convenience factor doesn’t outweigh the reliability of going to the DMV, but for other students, the kiosks provide a newfound layer of ease.
“I don’t even know where the DMV is, having that would be a great convenience,” said fellow junior, Bella Sweeney.
From Aug. 31 to Sept. 10, users attempted 61 transactions at the kiosks, with 34 successfully completed. According to Rosenthal “Failed transactions can be for a variety of different reasons,” including unpaid fees or data entry errors. The process takes around 5 minutes to complete, and some users walk away before completing it. If the transaction fails, users need to go into the DMV to complete the transaction.
Fred Meyer employee Kendall Lockyer told The Arbiter that she has not seen anyone use the kiosk.
Four more kiosks will be open within the month at locations in Pocatello, Twin falls, Nampa and Idaho falls. Adding more kiosks throughout the state is one of the primary goals of this project, according to Rosenthal.
“We recognize that services are always needed in rural areas, so that would definitely be a goal to provide more service in rural areas across Idaho,” she said.
“One of the concerns we’ve heard is people are concerned about tax dollars being used for this. Tax dollars are not being used for this project,” Rosenthal added. Instead, the users pay a $7.95 transaction fee that is added on to their end total for the registration.
Before more kiosks and services are added throughout Idaho, the DMV wants to see at least 500 transactions per kiosk per month. Similar self-service kiosks are already used in 14 other states, according to Rosenthal.
