One of the accomplishments for which former Governor Jim McGreevey still gets credit is his revamping of what was the Department of Motor Vehicles and is now the Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC). Wait times have been dramatically reduced and there exists a more customer-friendly atmosphere. However, there is always room for improvement.

Yesterday, the State Senate Transportation Committee approved a measure that would establish a maximum average wait time at all MVC agencies. Senator Jeff Van Drew is the bill's sponsor. He's been unsuccessful in advancing similar legislation in the past, but is optimistic this time around.

"What this legislation would do is have the Motor Vehicle Commission establish standards within 60 days that nobody waits longer than 30 minutes," explains Van Drew. "I've been thinking about this for a long time and continue to have legislation that essentially says, 'Nobody should really ever be waiting longer than a half-hour.'"

In areas of the State where the commission has closed facilities over the past few months, customers have often faced longer than average, sometimes extraordinary, wait times according to Van Drew. He feels the MVC's the chief administrator Ray Martinez should establish standards to ensure that all New Jersey residents receive a stellar level of customer service in doing business with the commission.

Van Drew feels Martinez has done an outstanding job and he's hoping his legislation can build on that good work. Cutting the maximum average wait time down to 30 minutes is just step-one in Van Drew's bill.,

"We would hope that once that's established that we could even get to the point that we're at a 15 minute wait time," explains Van Drew. "I think we can do it. If it was a private business we would do it."

The Senator feels his bill is more important now than it's ever been. He says, "As stressed as people are financially and every other way, if they're spending time at the Motor Vehicle Commission they're not spending time at work or in any other endeavor they may have to try to move their lives along in these challenging times."

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM