12News Investigates: Long lines issue a 'License to Wait' at Texas DPS offices
Wait times have become so terrible in Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange that many drivers are trying the smaller offices in Wallisville, Liberty, Jasper and Woodville.
Take one look around the DPS Driver's License office in Beaumont, and you'll see faces of frustration.
"This just is insane the way this system is set up with the technology we have," David Martin observed.
Inside the lobby and waiting room, minutes turn to hours and anxiety turns to anger as lines lengthen, and folks realize their assigned number may not be called.
12News spent the past month talking to disgruntled drivers at DPS locations across Southeast Texas. Wait times have become so terrible in Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange that many drivers are trying the smaller offices in Wallisville, Liberty, Jasper and Woodville. Many feel like they're only being given a "license to wait."
Number of customers served in Southeast Texas DPS Driver's License Offices
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Breaking down the wait times
We met Martin in Beaumont, on his day off. He had arrived before 11 a.m. When we interviewed him, it was nearly closing time, and he realized he wasn't going to be called. "(The system) is very broken, and there's 50 people here waitig, plus the people (who) have already made reservations. It's incredibly stupid."
Not far away, Sheila Woods from Groves sat in a similar state of disbelief. "It is insane. There has got to be a better way to do this. There's got to be," she said, shaking her head. She was trying to get a learner's permit for her daughter. "She just turned 15 on Tuesday, so this is to get her learners permit. She's done all of her paperwork to get on the road, and it's not going to happen today."
Wait times in Beaumont appear to be averaging about five hours.
Port Arthur any better?
Some have tried driving South about twenty minutes to Downtown Port Arthur. "There's probably about 50-55 people in there right now," Jesica Aldous counted. She said only 3 people were working.
This office is only open Tuesdays and Thursdays. The wait time here seems to be five or six hours. Maybe more. Aldous thinks Texas is failing drivers. "They need more offices. They need to employ more people."
The day we met her she was on her third try. "The first time I came, I was at the Beaumont one, and I waited outside. I got there about 6:30 in the morning, and I waited for about an hour, and then it started raining, so everyone started leaving because the doors weren't open."
She started the process June 18. For now, she hopes police give her a break because she feels like she's made a real effort to renew. "I tried to do mine online. But I did mine last time, so you have to come in and do it this time."
"Right now I'm G14," Donnie Carbaugh told us with a wry smile. We visited with him on his fourth visit to the Port Arthur DPS. We asked him what's going on.
"I really don't know. It's never been like this. I'm 80 years old, and I've gotten licenses renewed, and I've never seen this. They said well go to Liberty. It's the same thing go to Orange. They won't even let you in the door in the Orange," Carbaugh suggested.
12News filed an open records request with DPS asking for average wait times in Southeast Texas. The response left us shaking our heads. A DPS lawyer emailed us saying, "I forgot to mention that the Department does not have wait time information for those particular offices."
"It's just absolutely miserable, and this is not what the people of Texas deserve," State Representative James White told 12News. He says the wait times are not acceptable. "There is no excuse."
White points to four key issues...
- The state's dramatic population growth
- More people needing photo id's because of the real id act...
- Outdated technology in offices...
- Low worker salaries
"Starting pay for a lot of customer service reps is around $26k, so we need to get that up to attract not just more people, but more quality folks," Rep. White suggested.
DPS has asked the state legislature for an extra $420 million on top of its regular budget. It would bump up those low starting salaries to $35k. The plan would also pay to hire nearly a thousand new customer service reps.
"It's more than just hiring more people and having bigger offices. It's about also grasping the 21st century technologies that our toddlers and teens are mastering these days.
12News wanted be able to tell you which Southeast Texas location has the shortest lines. As we mentioned, the DPS doesn't track that data. We filed a separate public records request to obtain data showing how many licenses were issued at each location during the past 12 months.
Woodville had the smallest volume of licenses issued. It's located in the Tyler County Annex, next to Representative White's office. The wait time here? Only a few minutes.
Representative White credits a pilot program Tyler County started five years ago. Smaller counties identify someone to work as a driver's license registrar or deputy. DPS trains them and provides equipment, but the county pays the salary. "They would do some of the more basic transactions, because what we're finding is at least 75% of the transactions are the basic ones," Rep. White explained.
He thinks expanding the pilot program statewide would ease long lines. "All of the data I'm getting corresponds with the constituent feedback and disgust. I don't need any analytics or data. We know what we need to do next session. And we just need to get after it.
Back in line in Beaumont and Port Arthur all of that talk doesn't do much to ease frustration. "I'm retired, but I see people in there that have to work! God love them," Carbaugh said.
"This is insane to have to be in line for hours and hours and hours to get something that the state requires you to have," Woods recalled.
Long lines of disappointed drivers left with only a license to wait.