The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles is giving driving schools — but not the public — special access to senior staff to discuss growing concerns over how road tests are scheduled.
The RMV wrote a conciliatory letter Nov. 5 to the driving school community after a recent NECIR investigation revealed a long-standing - and worsening - pay-to play system that is severely limiting the public’s ability to get a timely road test appointment.
Applicants can jump the line for road tests if they pay anywhere from $75 to $195 extra to a driving school, whether or not they took lessons at that school. They can also get coveted weekend and before regular-hour appointments through the schools.
“We want to assure you that there are no immediate changes taking place to the alternate hours scheduling system,’’ the Nov. 5 letter from Interim Registrar Erin Deveney reads. “As we look at improving the way the RMV serves road test customers, please be assured the RMV is working to find ways to solicit meaningful and active input from our driving school partners.’’
The letter goes on to say if any driving school has questions or concerns, a member of the RMV senior staff or the Registrar herself would respond. The public has not been granted such special access.
Once again, “they are putting the driving schools in a privileged place,’’ said Peter Enrich, an expert in local and state government at the Northeastern University School of Law, who has been disturbed by the Registry road test scheduling practices.
“The takeaway for me is they didn’t get it. They don’t see there is a problem of treating the schools as their business partners in a way that empowers the driving schools essentially to sell the Registry's services to the general public at a mark-up.”
Registry officials, asked to respond to the letter, issued this statement: “The Registry of Motor Vehicles is committed to improving the levels of service provided to all its customers, including our individual customers and businesses throughout the Commonwealth who rely on RMV services. As part of this effort, the RMV is using a variety of outreach measures to solicit feedback from our customers, including the use of social media, customer surveys and public meetings. It is important for the RMV to hear from its customers to ensure that service improvements address what is important to our customers.”