Kankakee Times

One place where people are almost guaranteed to wait for services is at a Department of Motor Vehicles office, however, with the Skip-the-Line program set to be introduced across Illinois in September, wait times could be significantly reduced.

Illinois Secretary of State, Alexi Giannoulias, announced the new Skip-the-Line Program would be implemented at 44 of the busiest DMV locations on Sept. 1, in a July 27 press release. With the program, those locations will require appointments to “eliminate the unpredictability of wait times and improve customer service.”

Illinois state Rep. Jackie Haas shared some of the requirements of the program in a July 29 Facebook post.

“Customers will be required to make appointments for in-person visits for REAL IDs, driver’s licenses and ID card services, and in-car driving tests,” Haas wrote in her post. “All DMVs will have expanded hours on Mon-Fri, 8 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.”

Sixteen DMVs will also be open on Saturday from 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., according to the release.

The Skip-the-Line program offers an appointment scheduling system through a “simplified” online process that the public is “encouraged to use,” the release stated. The system can be used to schedule appointments for ID card services, in-person driving tests, a driver’s license, and more.

“Our goal is to eliminate the time tax that has plagued Illinoisans for years, forcing them to stand in long lines wasting time – just to conduct basic services,” Giannoulias said. “Extending hours at all DMVs and requiring appointments at our 44 highest volume facilities is the most efficient way to get the services you need quickly and without the headache of unpredictable wait times.”

Appointments can be scheduled up to 15 days in advance and can be modified at the same website where the appointment was made, according to the Illinois Secretary of State website. A video was also produced to show people how to schedule an appointment online.

The site also offers customers a listing of DMVs that are participating in the Skip-the-Line program, as well as address information and operating hours.

Haas, a former social worker, was elected as the representative for District 79 in December 2020, according to the Illinois General Assembly webpage. She is a member of the Health Care Availability and Access Committee where she serves as the Republican spokesperson.