A new DMV Line Concierge Service meant to give relief to people who are willing to spend some money instead of few hours waiting in line is now available from a startup called YoGov in the Bay Area.
The program covers 13 Bay Area DMV offices, according to the Sacramento Bee. Once the customer books a spot by selecting a location and date, YoGov will send out a person to wait in line on behalf of the customer. The concierge will notify customers of their arrival and what time the customer should come to take over.
We're thrilled to announce our DMV Line Waiting Concierge service today, now live in California! PS - We've made it free for seniors, people with disabilities, pregnant women, and low-income folks. https://t.co/73bSatFJvL
— YoGov (@YoGov__) August 3, 2018
The fee is about $25 per hour with a maximum of four hours and a minimum of one and a half hours. The service covers the line waiting to get a number, as well as the waiting afterward, if requested.
The new service started on Aug. 3 to address the increasingly loud complaining about excessive wait times at DMVs across California. The average wait times after getting a number have increased to 69 minutes in 2018 from 48 minutes in 2017 across the state, according to the Sacramento Bee.
California DMV opens 60 field offices on Saturday to help alleviate brutally long wait times https://t.co/n5Y8J6zCUL pic.twitter.com/HaG1VksHLV
— KTVU (@KTVU) August 2, 2018
YoGov also offers a $19.99 service that makes a DMV appointment in 2-3 weeks, while regular appointments can take over a month.
With wait times getting longer, the company has found an opportunity to grow their business by helping busy people.
However, there are concerns that the private company may be charging for a government service, which is not allowed. The DMV is reportedly investigating the company to see if it’s legal.
