Ohio could expand BMV online check-in state-wide by summer 2020

Bedford BMV

Darryl Franklin walks out of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles office, Monday, June 17, 2019, in Bedford, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)AP

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ohio is looking to roll out its BMV online-check in program to more locations by the end of this week, and state-wide by June 2020, says Lt. Gov. Jon Husted.

The pilot, which launched in June, is available now at 13 locations. The only one in Northeast Ohio is in Bedford, with most in central Ohio.

Ohioans planning to visit the BMV can view wait times online, then select the services they will need. By checking in, they’ll be given a spot in line and provided a four-hour window where they can show up.

When they get there, the system will assign them a spot no higher than third in line, according to previous reporting by cleveland.com’s Andrew J. Tobias.

Husted and other InnovateOhio leadership discussed “Get In Line, Online” in a Cleveland meeting on Wednesday. InnovateOhio is the state’s effort to incorporate technology into government services to make them more efficient.

BMVs are run through contracts with deputy registrars. There are 184 deputy registrars throughout Ohio. The public wait time function holds locations accountable for delays or long lines.

A private online dashboard for deputy registrars records data for about different locations, including customers waiting at each location and the number of staff members available. It can also record what issues clerks are helping customers with, which can help guide training.

“It’s a treasure trove of data,” Ohio BMV registrar Charlie Norman said.

Multiple new locations are expected to be announced this week. None of them will be in Geauga, Lake, Summit or Cuyahoga counties, but officials hope to expand the program to more locations in the Cleveland area in early 2020.

There is just over a million dollars set aside to expand “Get In Line, Online” statewide.

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