Bowling Green New Driver’s License Center Makes Town Folks Unhappy
Hey there Bowling Green folks! In recent times, the fresh-faced Real ID and Driver’s License Center have been catching a lot of bad buzz from our local guys and gals. According to a sample of 20 local residents that agreed to share their stories, the experience has been less than stellar. Remember the good old times when you could mosey on down to our Edmonson County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office to get your licenses renewed? You can kiss those days goodbye since the decision from the bigwigs at the State level declared regional offices were better suited for such tasks.
You see, my wife Debbie gave me the inside scoop when she paid the center a visit for a walk-in session to renew her license a while back. After all, she had to visit because her license was expiring in two days(!), a date she didn’t expect so soon. Because of such abrupt notice, she even had to bypass making an appointment. Thence, she had to face a significant crowd of equally confused and frustrated folks from all six counties who were already forming a line way before the official opening hours of the center.
Not only did the center not really organize the queue well, but there’s also been reports from Debbie and others that the staff were reported to be rather sharp and rude in their interactions with the patrons. It’s a world of difference from what we were used to down at the Edmonson County Circuit Court’s Office, where a kindly lady would welcome us with a warm smile and genuine care about how we were doing. While the outdated “herding cattle” method of getting driver’s licenses is being phased out for modern approaches, the switchover hasn’t been as smooth as you might hope.
Locals like Karen King, Kim Ray, and Elizabeth Miller shared their less than pleasant experiences at the center. Karen complained about the unending lines, language barriers due to one of the staff and the issues she faced in scheduling an appointment online. Kim and Elizabeth both spoke about the 3-hour ordeals they went through, even when they had appointments. They were made to stand in a queue, wait for the verification of documents and then they were queued to meet the person who would process their licenses. And even after all this, Elizabeth was not issued a temporary license which Debbie had received and had to wait until after New Years to receive her ID.
A more distressing account came from John Lindsey who apparently lost a whole Bahamas cruise due to the office misprinting the expiration date on his new IDs. John and his family had their IDs made, but an error on his wife’s ID resulting in the wrong expiration date being printed cost them the chance to board their cruise ship. The error went unnoticed until they attempted to board the ship, and unfortunately, despite contacting the Licensing office and the local sheriff, they were unable to rectify the situation. This oversight by the office cost them their cruise, an event that really underscored the problems faced by local residents.
Unfortunately, the Bowling Green office staff have not been very forthcoming with their responses to these complaints. When contacted, they only provided a recorded message and an unhelpful email address. While the executive director from the Office of Public Affairs stated “Our goal is to efficiently serve Kentuckians’ licensing needs while being committed to continuous improvement…” and mentioned the goal of expanding appointment schedules, increasing seating at the Bowling Green location among others, the issues faced by the residents paint a different story.
That said, not everyone has had bad experiences with the office. A few comments from folks like Amanda Eicher and Nikki McGrew were on the brighter side of the spectrum. They both reported positive encounters at the office- quick service and a friendly staff. However, the increasing number of citizens speaking out about their issues and terming their experience as “chaos,” and “super frustrating,” only emphasizes that a lot more needs to be done to ensure a smoother transition for all.
