The DMV has moved many services to kiosks. We tried one out. It didn't go well

The California DMV has long been one of people's least favorite places to visit, with long waits on hard seats.

Recently, though, it announced that it was moving most services online in order to “alleviate congestion.” It expects 200,000 less office visits a month under its new system.

But many Californians, like older adults or non-English speakers, don’t have computers or access to the internet. So there are also self-serve kiosks in grocery stories across L.A and the O.C., which have been around for some time, where you can renew your registration, pay fees and replace your driver's license or ID.

Since more people will now have to use them, I thought I'd go and try them out myself.

First impressions

I needed to change the address on my vehicle registration after I moved from the Westside to Westlake. So I stopped by a self-serve kiosk located inside a grocery store near University Park on a recent Monday afternoon.

The machine, which has a touch screen, first asked me to select my preferred language. 14 different languages appeared, which seemed impressive, including Spanish, Tagalog, Hindi and more. According to the DMV website, though, that can vary depending on location.

The next prompt asked if I wanted to adjust the volume setting, which is helpful for people who are hard of hearing.

The volume options at the kiosk

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But once I was past that, things can got a little dicey.

Choices

The kiosk then offered me several options, like renewing my registration or replacing my driver's license. But it didn't seem to have one just for changing my address.

Screen options at the kiosk

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I clicked “Driver record or Vehicle record," which seemed the most similar to what I wanted, and it prompted me to either insert my driver's license, like you do a credit card, or type it in manually.

Then it asked for my address. Hmmm. Which address was it referring to? Did it need the new address I just moved into or my last apartment on the Westside?

I decided to put my current address. But then it said it needed to match the address on my drivers licence. That had my address from when I lived in another state (I moved here less than a year ago).

Since my drivers licence was about to expire — and you can’t renew it at a kiosk — I gave up.

So, it looked like I needed to head to a DMV office. Which meant I'd have to take time off work. I felt defeated.

(I was in a grocery store though, so I could at least shop for dinner).

Frustration

It’s not just me who's had difficulties. I met thirty five-year-old resident David Alvarez who recently tried to replace his driver’s license after losing his wallet.

First, he attempted to do it online, but was told to go to a kiosk. When it tried to verify his identity, it gave him multiple error messages before advising him to phone the DMV.

“Now [the kiosk is] saying I could call, but it didn't tell me that online,” he said. “So I had to come here to find out that the only option is to call. Which is a waste of time.”

Alvarez is a medical student, so the ordeal was “super inconvenient,” given that he’s busy seeing patients and studying. But he’s mostly concerned about how other Angelenos will be able to navigate the DMV’s new digital changes — especially those who don’t feel as comfortable as he does with the internet and other technology.

“I'm pretty savvy for the most part. I just feel bad for people,” he said. “Like my grandparents wouldn't be able to do this, right?”

Getting people up to speed

Advocates say the DMV’s new digital push should include digital skills training for residents and on-site help for people who have trouble navigating the process.

A security guard at one grocery store told me he often gets requests from people who need help with the kiosks, but can’t leave his post.

“This is a big transition that's happening and not everybody is up to speed,” said Diana Rodriguez of the nonprofit EveryoneOn. She said the DMV should allocate resources into the community — maybe in the form of “digital navigators” or residents “who can can help other folks adopt this new technology and navigate through it.”

EveryoneOn offers free digital skills classes that cover everything from where to put your hands on a keyboard to how to set up an email account. Rodriguez said the organization’s introductory courses remain the most popular.

“For many folks who are taking these classes, they've not interacted with technology before. They don't know how to use two fingers to use a trackpad on a laptop, for example,” Rodriguez said. “And that's the reality of what's going on right now.”

In a statement, the DMV said it wants “all Californians to have a smooth, quick and convenient” experience, and that it offers multiple options for taking care of DMV business depending on your comfort level, access and personal preferences.

Anyone who has trouble online or at a kiosk can stop by a DMV office for help.