CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV) officially launched a new pilot program that puts self-serve kiosks in Harris Teeter stores across the state in an effort to increase convenience and shorten wait times at DMV offices.
NCDMV's pilot program rolled out on Thursday, with the agency putting kiosks in three Harris Teeter stores including a location on Mount-Holly Huntersville Road in northwest Charlotte. The other two are in Raleigh and Fayetteville. The Charlotte kiosk is located on the other side of the express self-checkout lane at the front of the store.
Thursday's launch received a warm welcome from customers at Harris Teeter.
"I'm all about a one-stop shot," Natalie Paturzo, who lives in the Mountain Island area, said. "Going to a kiosk is very nice."
Drivers who use the self-serve kiosk will be able to renew driver's licenses and permits, as well as state identification cards. The machine will print a temporary card that can be used until the official one arrives in the mail.
Starting in April, drivers will also be able to renew their registration, pay vehicle property taxes and get their car tag sticker right from the kiosk. For Paturzo, that third task is something her family will be handling soon.
“Actually, my husband’s registration is due soon, so it will be fantastic if we can do that here,” she said.
“Now, I can just come right down the street," Kerry Burn said. "We're here all the time. It's clean, it's safe and it will be good."
Another customer said it will save him from driving across town and waiting at the DMV for something he can now handle himself.
“The technology is so much better, so much faster, and I think that people are more used to these types of transactions,” DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin said.
He said the goal is to shorten wait times at DMV offices while modernizing other services. It's all top of mind as North Carolina continues to welcome new residents on a daily basis.
“North Carolina has grown by 3 million people since the year 2000, and we have only added three net new driver’s license DMV offices in that time period,” Goodwin said. “For us to be able to provide the services North Carolinians need we need to be able to do more things out of the office.”
Staying out of a long line at the DMV is ideal. Some of the neighbors WCNC Charlotte spoke to said the experiences they've had weren't ideal.
“It’s horrible, it’s like the worst experience ever,” Paturzo said. “If you don’t get there first thing in the morning, you are waiting in a long line before it even opens. And as a mother of a 4-year-old, it is not convenient.”
The department plans to add seven more kiosks in the first half of 2024. More are expected to be added depending on how often the kiosks are used.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.