Self-service kiosks trending up on Oahu during pandemic

Registering a vehicle on Oahu has become a convenient part of a trip to the supermarket during the ongoing coronavirus situation.

The city’s self-service kiosks, which allow drivers to renew and print vehicle registrations instantly at a handful of grocery stores, were used nearly four times as much in 2020 than the year before, due in part to the emergency period that focused many drivers on avoiding public places, such as satellite city halls, to help fight the spread of the coronavirus.

Known as the Hawaii DMV Now self-service kiosks, these free-standing terminals, which operate much like ATMs, processed and printed 128,374 vehicle registrations and emblems on Oahu in 2020, up from 32,310 a year earlier.

The near fourfold spike in use comes as the city has expanded its vehicle registration service to seven Safeway and Foodland supermarkets across Oahu, giving drivers more options to quickly register vehicles outside of city offices and normal business hours, while maintaining 6 feet of distance from others in public.

“We are pleased to be able to provide the public with a convenient option to register or renew vehicles and have the new documents in hand in a matter of minutes – while being able to avoid lines and maintain social distancing,” said Nola Miyasaki, director designate of the city’s Department of Customer Services.

The city installed its first DMV Now self-service kiosks at four Safeway stores on Feb. 12, 2019. Since then, others have been deployed at Foodland, bringing to seven the total number of these bright yellow touch-screen terminals that enable drivers to get new registration cards and emblems on demand.

The kiosks accept registration renewals up to 10 months past the expiration date. Late registrations are assessed a standard $16 fee.

The vendor’s $3 convenience fee is assessed to transactions at the kiosks, which are open late, if not 24/7. The convenience fee is added to the 2.5 percent fee on credit and debit cards assessed by financial institutions when used at any of the kiosks.

Drivers can also renew a vehicle registration online or by mail; however, these options are unable to calculate any late fees that may be due, and require up to 15 business days to receive the card and emblem by mail.

For more information, go to www.honolulu.gov/csd or click on DMV Now .