DPS 'mega centers' keep drivers waiting despite extra funding, political pressure

Hours-long waits continue to frustrate Dallas-area drivers trying to renew their licenses at the state's "mega centers," a year after additional staffing and other resources were devoted to the problem.

“It shouldn’t be like this,” said Angelique Harbin, who spent four hours and a vacation day to get a piece of paper that will serve as a temporary permit until her new license arrives in the mail in two weeks.

The 42-year-old from Grand Prairie was one of dozens of people who endured long waits last week at the driver's license mega center in Red Bird.

The centers, run by the Department of Public Safety, opened in 2012 to help reduce wait times at smaller offices. Besides the southern Dallas center, there are three others in North Texas — in Carrollton, Garland and Fort Worth. Long lines are also the norm at smaller offices in Plano and McKinney.

Last year, DPS added 100 employees to its mega centers. The announcement came days after a Dallas Morning News article about customers at the Carrollton center who reported up to eight-hour waits.

State legislators have repeatedly called out the agency for ongoing problems at the centers, and Gov. Greg Abbott went so far as to call its efforts “despicable.”

"The way DPS has handled driver's licenses in the state of Texas is despicable, and it has been nonresponsive," Gov. Greg Abbott said in March.

DPS officials did not respond to numerous calls and emails seeking comment.

In the new state budget, DPS was awarded $1 million to conduct a study to prove it deserves to keep operating the license centers. If the agency fails to prove this to the 2021 Legislature, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles will take over the operations.

At the southern Dallas center, employees preached patience to people who were waiting.

“If you thought today was your day, and you would get in and out, that is not the setup here,” a DPS employee announced one day last week. “We ask for patience.”

For part of the morning, people who were there to renew ID cards or driver’s licenses waited for their numbers to appear in batches of six on one of the screens in the building.

At other times, a DPS employee would call several numbers at a time and guide those customers to line up by stations.

“At least they’re trying,” said Chester Steen, 40, who waited 2 1/2 hours to replace a lost driver’s license.

But DPS is not trying hard enough, as far as state Sen. Jane Nelson is concerned.

The Flower Mound Republican sent a letter last week to Col. Steven McCraw, executive director of DPS, to express her "great frustration" that Texans continue to endure long waits at DPS centers.

In her letter, Nelson cited $212.4 million in new financing for DPS that was intended to fill 762 vacancies, which brings the program’s funding to an all-time high of $490.6 million.

"Problems continue at our driver license offices despite significant investments this session," Nelson told The News. "It is unacceptable for Texans to be waiting hours in 100-degree heat for driver license transactions, and I have asked the agency to tell us when the public can expect to see improvements."

There’s usually ample space inside the Dallas mega center for everyone to have a seat or find a spot against a wall, but people who have visited other area DPS centers this summer have not been so lucky.

Last week at the DPS office in McKinney, Allen resident Al Smith told KXAS-TV (NBC5) that customers waiting in line outside saw a 16-year-old girl pass out from the triple-digit heat and hit her head on the concrete.

DPS did not confirm to NBC5 that the cause of the girl’s collapse was the heat, but several people in line told the station they waited over five hours to get inside the office.

“You’re looking at your government not working,” said Smith, who called, emailed and used social media to complain to the governor's office about the wait times.

Many Texas residents can avoid an hours-long wait at a DPS facility by renewing their licenses online, by mail or over the phone.

But there are several groups that must renew in person: anyone who is a “temporary visitor,” defined by DPS as someone who is not a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee or asylum seeker; anyone who is 79 or older; and anyone with an ID or license that has been expired for more than two years.

Next year, when stricter ID rules take effect under the federal REAL ID Act, Texas residents who don't have a gold star on their licenses or IDs may need to visit a DPS center in person to update their cards.

Patricia Hoppe, 87, said she had been worried about renewing her driver's license after hearing from friends who had experienced three-hour waits at DPS centers. Hoppe is the relative of an employee who last worked for The News in 2015. 

To see what she was in for, Hoppe said she and a friend did a dry run at the Plano DPS center. Seating at the Plano office is limited, and the line often extends out the door. Instead, Hoppe, who uses a walker and has trouble standing for more than two to three minutes at a time, decided to visit the Garland mega center.

“I had such anxiety over this, knowing what I was facing,” Hoppe said. “I was a wreck knowing I had to do it.”

Knowing she wouldn’t be able to stand in line, Hoppe said she went to the front of the line and was quickly accommodated.

“I got lucky. It was just because I have a walker,” Hoppe said, adding that she empathizes with anyone who has to endure long lines at DPS centers.

“This is a mega center, and they mean it,” Hoppe said.

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To reduce wait times, DPS offers a "Get in Line Online" option, which allows residents to schedule a visit with an estimated time to be served. The DPS website, however, warns that times are not exact appointments and that service varies based on wait times.

Several customers at the Dallas mega center said they tried to use the option but still endured hours-long waits. Others said the option offered no available service times when they tried to check in online.

Paige Keller, 30, said she waited four hours at the Dallas mega center to renew her ID.

Despite the wait, she said her experience at the Dallas mega center was not as bad as she had anticipated.

“They weren’t as rude as I expected them to be,” Keller said. She was also expecting to be there longer, after her grandmother recently experienced a seven-hour wait, she said.

“I guess I have to count my blessings,” Keller said.