Not again! Glitch keeps MVC from processing driver licenses again Thursday

Above: Gov. Chris Christie after accompanying a mother to the South Plainfield MVC, where she said she had trouble getting a replacement permit for her son.

State Motor Vehicle Commission Offices were once again unable to process driver license transactions for a period mid-day Thursday. UPDATE: Shortly after 1 p.m., the agency announced systems were once again working.

In a tweet shortly after noon, the commission said the agency was suffering from "statewide systems issues."

It's bad timing for the MVC — as it typically sees a rush toward the end of the month, as license and registration renewals become due. On Tuesday, the agency also suffered serious system issues, taking down its ability to issue driver licenses and schedule road tests. Online applications were also affected.

New Jersey 101.5 heard from several people affected by the delays Beverly Dvorak wrote in an email she saw long lines outside of the Springfield MVC in 90-degree-plus heat Tuesday.

"Mid-day, mid month, no excuse for this," she wrote.

Several callers told New Jersey 101.5 Wednesday morning they were continuing to see long lines and other problems — not only this week — at the South Plainfield MVC.

That's the same location Gov. Chris Christie visited with an upset mother after she called into New Jersey 101.5's Ask the Governor to say she'd gotten the runaround trying to get her son a new driver permit.

“It’s not the process, it’s not the software, it’s not updating the systems. It’s the people themselves that are the problem," Freddy in South Plainfield said in a call into New Jersey 101.5's morning show. News Director Eric Scott was subbing in for usual host Bill Spadea.

Jeff Edelstein — subbing in for Steve Trevelise on New Jersey 101.5's evening show — said his wife recently was met with a renewal line that took more than four hours. Ray Martinez, the MVC Commissioner, called in and responded.

He said the MVC has had “unusually high volumes” for registration and license renewal recently, but conceded such lines are “not acceptable.”

He urged people to take advantage of the invite-only “Skip the Trip” program that allows people to renew their licenses by mail. Of the 35,000 people offered to use the “Skip the Trip” program in July, 28 percent took advantage of the opportunity, according to Martinez.

Martinez said invitations will more than double in August, with 90,000 going out, and will increase to 117,000 in September.