Government of the District of Columbia
Department of Motor Vehicles
Agency Performance Oversight Hearing on Fiscal Years 2024-25
Testimony of Gabriel Robinson, Director
Department of Motor Vehicles
Before the Committee on Transportation and the Environment
Charles Allen, Chairperson
Council of the District of Columbia
Monday, February 10, 2025
Good afternoon, Chairman Allen, Committee members, councilmembers, and staff of the Committee. I am Gabriel Robinson, Director of the District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). I am pleased to testify before you today.
On behalf of Mayor Muriel Bowser, I would like to thank our customers, Chairman Allen, this Committee and the rest of the Council for your support of DC DMV. The feedback you provide to this agency is valued and critically important for guiding our decision-making processes for service improvements. I would also like to extend a special thank you to all of my colleagues at DMV for their hard work, dedication and commitment to serving our customers. I am proud to share the major accomplishments of the DMV in Fiscal Year 2024 (FY 24) and year-to-date Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 25).
The mission of DC DMV is to promote the safe operation of motor vehicles and public safety, while providing outstanding customer service. As I frequently tell my team, our agency is truly “saving lives every day.”
The agency has three operational divisions: Adjudication Services, Vehicle Services and Driver Services. Our Adjudication Services team provides ticket processing, ticket noticing, hearings and hearing support services to residents and non-residents in order to render legally sound decisions on parking, photo enforcement and minor moving violations. The Adjudication team also ensures proper processing of violation and penalty payments for these infractions. Additionally, driver license revocation and reinstatement hearings are provided through Adjudication Services. Vehicle Services provides title, registration and inspection services to residents, businesses and government entities so they may legally drive, park and sell their vehicles in the District of Columbia. Driver Services provides driver certification and identification services to residents, ensuring they have the proper credentials to reflect identity and residence and driving qualifications so they may legally and safely operate their vehicles.
Annually, DC DMV serves over 650,000 licensed drivers and identification card holders in the District and over 310,000 registered vehicle owners. We constantly interact with District residents and non-residents, with an average of 3,200 daily customer contacts—more than almost any other District government agency—and we’ve processed and/or collected ticket payments for more than 4 million tickets annually. In Fiscal Year 2024, we met the needs of 296,472 customers across our four service center locations and this fiscal year, we have already provided services to over 75,000 District residents. Additionally, we have provided adjudication services, including conducting over 310,000 in-person and mail hearings and over 17,000 virtual hearings. In FY 24, we inspected more than 150,000 vehicles, including 13,698 inspections conducted at our self-service OBD emissions kiosks at the Takoma and Fort Stanton Recreation Centers. The agency issued 55,033 vehicle titles and registrations and issued 77,271 identity credentials including driver licenses and non-driver ID’s. Our Support Service and Processing Center Teams also processed and mailed products generated from more than 392,000 online transactions.
In FY 24, DMV launched several innovative products and initiatives to better serve our customers, promote the safe operation of motor vehicles and public safety and streamline our internal processes.
Most notably, DC DMV joined 41 other US jurisdictions in the State-to-State (S2S) verification program. In compliance with the Federal REAL ID Act, State-to-State (S2S) was implemented in 2015 by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrations (AAMVA) as an electronic tool that allows states to share information electronically to other states about an applicant’s driver record. The State-to-State (S2S) verification program allows other State Motor Vehicle entities to electronically check with other participating states to confirm if an individual holds a driver's license or identification card in that state. S2S also enables a state to request another state to surrender or invalidate a credential. By participating in the State-to-State program, DC DMV now has access to the nationwide Driver History Record (DHR) functionality, which supports the concept of one driver, one credential and one driver history record in one state. The implementation of S2S has already led to increased efficiencies when processing credentials and DMV is seeing increased driver history accuracy and completeness. This ultimately supports our mission to promote the safe operation of motor vehicles and public safety in the District of Columbia."
In March 2024, DC DMV opened its second self-service on-board diagnostic (OBD) emissions testing kiosk in Ward 8’s Fort Stanton neighborhood at the Fort Stanton Recreation Center at 1812 Erie Street SE. The new kiosk allows District residents to perform their own vehicle emissions tests 24-hours, seven days a week. The ATM-style kiosk boasts touch screen technology, an integrated Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) bar code scanner, step-by-step audio support and other user-friendly features. The District’s first self-service emissions kiosk, launched by Mayor Bowser in 2019, remains available to residents and is located at the Takoma Recreation Center. Both kiosks are available to inspect private vehicles with model years 2005 and newer and any vehicle previously inspected by DC DMV at the Inspection Station on Half Street SW. In FY 24, the Kiosk at Fort Stanton performed 612 successful emissions tests and the Takoma location 13,086 emissions tests. In FY 25, DMV is already seeing increased usage of the new Fort Stanton site and expects residents to increasingly use this and the Takoma location.
In August 2024, DMV released a newly designed temporary tag to mitigate vehicle registration fraud and replace the existing pre-printed cardboard stock tag. DMV upgraded its temporary tag, offering a modern paper tag with laser-printed alphanumeric digits generated randomly by our system. The enhanced DMV temporary tag features weather resistant, fade proof and tear proof paper. The new tags are now available at all DC DMV service centers.
DC DMV launched the Knowledge Test Educational Outreach Program for teenagers and young adults ages 16-21, with the first boot camp cohort meeting during the summer of 2024. This free summer program provided young people with the opportunity to participate in DC DMV's Permit Prep Boot Camp with the goal of preparing attendees to take and pass the Knowledge Test to obtain a learner’s permit. The classes ran six three-day sessions each week from July 9 to August 15 and met at DC DMV's Southwest Service Center. All 56 students who participated in the first cohort left the fast-paced, three-day boot camp with the confidence, knowledge, resources and materials necessary to take the DMV Knowledge Test. 88 percent of the students who took the knowledge test during the first summer class passed the test on their first try.
The DC Permit Prep Boot Camp students, as well as others studying for the knowledge test in 2024, enjoyed a redesigned and improved DC DMV Driver Manual with an easier to navigate digital reading experience and more user-friendly features. The new manual is available to the public for download via the DC DMV website with translations in Spanish, French, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean and Amharic.
DMV is a leader in innovation and leveraging technology. To that end, we continue to make improvements and additions to the agency’s mobile app. We are seeing increased usage of the app, with over 184,976 individual downloads and over 3,500 average monthly users in FY 24. Customers completed over 43,371 transactions from their smart devices in FY 24. DMV added several more transactions to the mobile app, including address change requests, Vision Zero educational videos and the DC DMV Driver Manual among other helpful products and features. We continue to encourage the public to use DMV’s app through our #SkipTheTrip campaign. The mobile app is free and can be downloaded from Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store by searching DC DMV.
In addition to interacting with District residents through the app, DMV has been proactive in announcing operational updates through multiple communications channels, including press releases, social media, the DMV website and through direct channels such as mail, email and an electronic newsletter that is distributed to nearly 500,000 subscribers. The DMV social media channels, including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, have collectively grown by over 20 percent in the past fiscal year, leading to a combined audience of over 23,000 unique followers. DMV has also elevated our public outreach and education efforts with robust marketing and public communications campaigns for key DMV initiatives, such as the Ignition Interlock Device (IID) Program. The IID Program campaign is part of the District government’s coordinated approach to traffic safety and education and emphasizes how DC DMV is committed to preventing impaired driving incidents in the District. Throughout FY 24 and continuing into FY 25, DC DMV is deploying key messages that emphasize the cost and consequences of having “one more drink,” including enrollment in the IID Program, vendor installment and monthly maintenance costs, high-risk insurance requirements and daily breath analyzer tests. The agency’s communications team, in partnership with IID Program team, launched the “It Could Cost More Than You Think” campaign utilizing a robust communications plan. We deployed radio Public Service Announcements (PSAs) for local media partners like iHeart Radio, Audacy and WAMU Radio. We also created visual ads for WMATA metro buses and rail cars and released an engaging animated video on our YouTube page and social media that explains the IID Program’s consequences and ultimately the cost of impaired driving. I’m proud to say that our campaign launch has produced over 4.9 million impressions and amassed over 431,378 engagements across social media. In FY 25, DMV will continue to produce marketing materials to support the IID Program outreach efforts, which will align with and communicate overall traffic safety and Vision Zero goals. DC DMV is proud to support this Vision Zero principle and foster safer streets for all roadway users. We remain committed to enhancing public awareness and enforcing compliance with DC Code regulations through continued collaboration with our District Government agency partners and external media partners.
In FY 24, DC DMV participated in three of Mayor Bowser’s Hiring Fairs, making 37 offers on the spot and hiring 30 new employees who are all still currently active. We also hosted two Job Prep Workshops for District residents on Thursday, September 19 and Saturday, September 21 at DMV’s Southwest Service Center. The mini clinics, led by DMV's human resources and training teams, focused on key interview skills, including how to answer interview questions, common interview "dos and don’ts" and resume preparation tips and best practices.
DC DMV partnered with the DC Highway Safety Office (HSO), DC Department of Transportation (DDOT), the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and external partners State Farm, Safe Kids Worldwide and Children’s National Hospital to host a free Car Seat Safety Check event on September 16 at the DMV Inspection Station. We hosted a fun and free day for District residents to visit DMV and obtain resources for parents, families and caregivers on car seat safety, with guided instruction on how to correctly install and use car seats from DMV's certified technicians. Residents are able to visit the Inspection Station any time during normal operating hours and request a car seat safety check or obtain a new car seat, both free of charge.
DC DMV was proud to support several of Mayor Bowser’s citywide events in FY 24, including participation in the Department of Parks and Recreation's annual Senior Fest celebration on May 29, a fun-filled event dedicated to District residents over 55. The DMV team was "on the yard" at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) to answer questions, connect and share resources with festival attendees. Our team looks forward to engaging with District seniors each year, honoring our commitment to serving our city's most vulnerable residents and ensuring that senior drivers are able to access the DMV resources they need. The DMV team also participated in the Mayor's Senior Symposium on June 25, hosted by the DC Department of Parks and Recreation and the DC Department of Aging and Community Living, at Ballou Senior High School in Ward 8. Over 2,600 active senior citizens were in attendance. DC DMV was on hand to answer questions and assist with information on the agency’s services. DMV kicked off the 2024 holiday season at the 26th Annual Senior Holiday Celebration hosted by Mayor Bowser and the DC Department of Aging and Community Living. DMV’s Correspondence and Communications teams were on hand to answer questions from over 3,500 senior citizens and assist with information on the agency’s services.
Looking ahead to the rest of FY 25, we are excited about opportunities to further DMV’s mission and vision. Our focus will largely be on traffic and roadway safety and reaching District residents with vital information using enhanced technology and communication.
In an effort to increase roadway safety, by September 2025, DMV will implement the Intelligent Speed Assist Program for all DC registered vehicles of drivers who are required to enroll in the program. We will partner with sister agencies (such as MPD, DPW and DDOT) to establish a process to prevent the issuance and, therefore, consequences related to traffic violations accumulated after a vehicle is reported stolen. Our team will also continue devising outreach strategies aimed at increasing awareness of and enrollment in DMV’s Ticket Alert Service by 10 percent by May 2025. Also, in an effort to increase the IID Program compliance rate, we will continue targeted outreach aimed at increasing the enrollment of IID program participants, including coordinating with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and DC Superior Court to raise awareness of the requirement to enroll in IID.
DMV will also continue to focus on the modernization of our IT capabilities and systems through enhancements to our web experience and mobile app. We will add the Ticket Alert Service system to the mobile app and upgrade the DMV customer experience with a personalized “My DMV” interface and user experience. We will also roll out a new DMV website. The DMV will expand the knowledge test’s available languages to include 10 new options, including American Sign Language. The agency will also expand the Knowledge Test Boot Camp initiative to select partner high schools located in Wards 7 and/or 8 to enhance the knowledge of potential drivers preparing for a learner’s permit. Finally, the DMV is working with MPD to automate the form 3340 (Official Notice of Proposed Revocation) using grant funding from the DC Highway Safety Office.
DMV remains committed to serving the public at a high level. We’ve been busy in FY 24 and FY 25 to date and will always remain responsive to our residents. We are focused on continuing to operate our facilities in a manner that keeps everyone safe, including our customers and our employees. I personally want to thank Team DMV for their dedication to exceptional customer service and public safety. Our commitment to these values will remain at the forefront of our work in FY 25. My team and I continue to look forward to improving our operational processes and making it easier for DMV customers to utilize our services. Again, we appreciate the support we have received from the Council and look forward to continuing our efforts to improve the quality of service to the residents of the District of Columbia. In closing, we would like to thank Mayor Bowser for her continued leadership and commitment to good governance and accountability. I will now address any questions you may have.
