DPS Requests $22M for Online License Renewal System

The Department of Public Safety is asking the Texas Legislature to invest $22 million in the next five years for a system that would allow virtual appointments for the roughly 40 percent of Texans needing routine services such as license renewals and replacements.

It would work like this: An eligible customer who chooses an online appointment would fill out their paperwork and upload documents ahead of time. During their appointment, a DPS employee would review everything with the customer, take their photo if needed, and process their application.

Hopeful non-commercial drivers could even take their road test virtually. With road- and driver-facing cameras and the help of a passenger acting as a proctor, DPS employees could assess driving skills without being in the car.

“There’s a lot of benefits to that,” Driver License Division Chief Sheri Gipson said.

Virtual appointments would help address staffing issues, for one. Staffing shortages are worst in major metropolitan areas such as Dallas, Gipson said, where there are more high-paying and remote jobs. Starting salaries for entry-level licensed permit specialists are as low as $21,155, though the starting average is around $39,000, Gipson said.

Virtual appointments would allow a license specialist from any office to serve someone no matter their location, providing a stopgap to areas with lower staffing levels. DPS’ requests to the legislature include funding for more staff, Gipson said, but it’s less than would be needed for more brick-and-mortar offices. DPS is requesting a separate $20 million to increase salaries for non-commissioned staff across the agency.

Robust web services would mean more convenience for customers, too, who could have online application and documents reviewed in advance even if they need an in-person appointment to prevent multiple trips. Some driver’s license renewals can already be done online, but only if the previous renewal was in person.

There isn’t another state that currently runs the type of program DPS is envisioning, Gipson said. Some allow pre-review of uploaded documents, but they still require people to come into offices for appointments.

It’s not just staffing that has made for long waits. Demand for driver’s license services is on the rise as Texas’ population expands. DPS is expected to mail more driver licenses and ID cards in 2025 than in the previous four years and maintains a list of driver records that grows every year.

That’s where DPS is betting on technology to improve outcomes. Only about 11 percent of calls made to DPS were answered in 2023, which Gipson said comes down to staffing shortages. About 81 full-time employees handle as many as 30,000 calls per day. But staff hope a project launching this month to add in chat capabilities and integrate the call system with driver records for more personalized automated help will increase the answer rate to 50 to 60 percent.

Another $2.5 million would fund additional call center technology improvements.

DPS also has a 27-30 percent no-show rate for appointments, which it hopes to tackle with a new system that will give customers additional reminders and allow them to cancel without having to log in to the website.

It’s up to legislators whether they will fund an experimental solution like virtual appointments to tackle wait times, but the $22 million price tag — which includes $14 million in startup costs — isn’t an outsized ask for Drivers License Services. The state allocated $246,063,968 to the division in 2023, an increase of $26,658,697 from fiscal year 2022.

If a virtual appointment system is funded, customers won’t see a difference right away. It would take 18 to 24 months to develop and implement a virtual appointment system, and another two years to get full customer buy-in. Less than 40 percent of customers eligible for online appointments currently use them, but that number has increased from about 25 percent with automated customer prompts.

The Legislative Budget Board will submit budget recommendations to lawmakers in January.

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