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May 22, 2018

Credit union to open DMV Express in Milford

PHOTO | Contributed A Nutmeg State Financial Credit Union branch in Rocky Hill.
By Natalie Missakian

Call it a fast pass for the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The Nutmeg State Financial Credit Union will open a Connecticut DMV Express license renewal location in Milford June 7 that will allow drivers to hold their place in line electronically.

The license renewal service will be housed inside the credit union’s first fully-automated self-service branch, set to open at 977 Boston Post Road, next to Starbucks in the ShopRite plaza.

When drivers check in at the  branch, a computer screen will display the current average wait time. Drivers can then choose to wait or sign up for a time window when they can return later in the day.

Customers who choose a window will receive email or text alerts to remind them their time is approaching, said Jeff Levesque, Nutmeg’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.

“Basically, we guarantee 30-minute windows,” Levesque said Tuesday, adding that the half-hour estimate is a worst-case scenario. “We think it’ll be even less than that.”

The newly built branch, one of 10 Nutmeg locations statewide, is part of a push by the credit union to expand in the southern part of the state. It is Nutmeg’s second location in New Haven County; the first is in Orange.

Banking transactions will be completed via kiosk, Levesque said, although staff will be on site to assist. The branch will be open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

Nutmeg staff will run the license renewal service, and non-members will be charged a $5 convenience fee.

DMV’s partnership with Nutmeg aims to fill a void left when eight AAA offices in New Haven and Fairfield counties stopped providing license renewal services last year, resulting in longer wait times at regional DMV offices.

The West Haven Chamber of Commerce opened a similar DMV Express in City Hall earlier this year, but the location initially struggled to handle the onslaught of customers, according to the Hartford Courant. 

Levesque said Nutmeg’s scheduling management technology should avoid a repeat of those startup problems. He said the credit union will introduce a new service by the end of June allowing DMV customers to schedule advance appointments online.

“We really pride ourselves on the service level we deliver to our membership and we’re looking to extend that to the residents of Connecticut,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a really different experience.”

Nutmeg has a contract with the state to open four more DMV Express branches in New Haven County. The locations have not been determined, Levesque said.

Natalie Missakian can be reached at news@newhavenbiz.com

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