Driver licensing office open next Saturday

Jan. 28—The Owensboro Driver Licensing Regional Office will be open for select pop-up services from 8 to 11:30 a.m. Feb. 4 as part of a pilot program.

Services will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis to walk-in customers from any county, but will not include driver testing offered by the Kentucky State Police.

Department of Vehicle Regulation Commissioner Matthew Cole said the pilot program began in October with Owensboro, Elizabethtown, Morehead and Catlettsburg representing each of the four districts.

Phase I of the program was conducted on Oct. 1, Nov. 5 and Dec. 3. The upcoming Phase II began on Jan. 7 and will continue on Feb. 4 and March 4, Cole said.

"The reason for the program is to offer more options," he said. "That's something that we've championed since the beginning of this transition, when it was decided that the circuit clerks were no longer going to issue licenses and it would go through us."

Prior to that transition, Cole said the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet acted as record keepers, with the circuit clerks being the issuing agents and KSP being the driver testing agency.

"With the issuing portion moving to us, we wanted to push forward as many technological advances as we could," he said. "That's why we have online renewal, we have mail-in renewal, we have appointments, pop-up mobile units in every county without a regional office."

The Saturday services are just a "natural progression" in the evolution of the program, Cole said.

"It's a thing that can help serve people with a Monday through Friday job that's hard to get away from, or someone that needs to bring a family member that they need to travel with," he said. "Those Saturday hours provide just a little more flexibility. It's another benefit."

After the completion of Phase III in April, Cole said the department will add eight more officers per region and Phase IV will begin sometime during the summer, finishing up with all 32 offices in the state.

"We'll probably let the pilot program run through the completion of the year to monitor it and see what adjustments need to be made," he said. "I think overall we'll probably find some of the smaller offices may not need Saturday hours if there's no demand for it."

Since the pilot program launched in October, Cole said he believes it has gone well and that over 1,100 people are served on Saturdays.

"It's something that the public has had an interest in for awhile," he said, "and we're glad we can deliver on it and get positive feedback on it."

For more information on driver licensing and KYTC, visit drive.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx.