Westwood is the first of six new AAA locations that will now be able to offer some Registry services
In early December, MassDOT Acting Secretary & CEO Frank DePaola, RMV Registrar Celia J. Blue and executives from AAA Southern New England announced that six new AAA Registry Services locations will be opening in the coming year. Westwood, which is the first of the six locations, was the first of the six new locations to launch.
Part and parcel of each of the new AAA Registry Services locations will be AAA’s ability to provide RMV license and registration renewal services to its members. In commenting on the announcement Acting MassDOT Secretary DePaola noted that, “Improving service delivery in a cost-effective manner is at the core of this public-private partnership with AAA. Essentially doubling the Registry transactions offered and doubling the locations greatly increases our reach to our thousands of mutual customers.”
Other services that the RMV-AAA Partnership will allow AAA Registry Service locations to offer the following Registry services to its members:
- License Renewals: Class D, M, DM only, excluding CDL’s
- Duplicates: Class D, M, DM only, excluding CDL’s
- ID Renewal
- Registration Renewals (under 55,000 lbs)
- Duplicate Registration (under 55,000 lbs)
- Registration Amendments
- Registration Transfers
- Duplicate Titles
- Replacement License Plate Stickers
According to MassDOT the six expansion locations chosen were based upon customer volume and proximity to existing RMV branches. In 2015, the following AAA SNE locations will join the Westwood AAA location in offering Registry services: Rockland, Burlington, Newton, Newburyport, and Somerset.
Although not mentioned in the MassDOT press release, it is interesting to note that in addition to RMV services, AAA locations in Massachusetts are now also authorized to distribute new Mass. EZPass transponders to new accounts. Here is more information about the program from their website:
AAA announces a program with the Massachusetts DOT, to distribute Massachusetts E-ZPass transponders at your local AAA Branch offices, we are currently offering this service to members.
AAA Members can complete an application in the branch and receive a transponder for their vehicle. Members establish an E-ZPass account with Mass DOT using a credit card with an initial balance of $20.00. The transponder will be active in three business days after the application is submitted. Transponders can be used throughout Massachusetts and out of state where E-ZPass is accepted.
*This program is only available for new accounts. Members that are already registered need to contact MassDot for any necessary changes.
The latest offerings from the RMV-AAA Partnership are part of the RMV’s Ten-Point Promise
The latest expansion of the RMV-AAA Partnership is in response to the RMV’s Ten-Point Promise that Registrar Celia Blue and the Mass. RMV issued in late 2014 which aims to increase and diversify the RMV’s delivery channels and customer service. According to Registrar Blue, “Our model for delivering extraordinary customer service relies on meeting our customers where they are,” said Registrar Blue. “AAA is a well-known and trusted organization; our partnership will save time for all customers as AAA members take advantage of these new services.”
Under Point Six of the promise, the RMV says that it will aim to improve “…meeting customers where they are through the continued pursuit and expansion of public-private partnerships with industry partners like AAA, dealerships, driving schools, health care providers and insurance agents.”
And what about insurance agents?
While we applaud the RMV for its expansion of services and congratulate AAA on the ability to offer more services to MA drivers, we note that in addition to AAA, insurance agents are also included in “Point Six.” As of yet, we have not heard of any partnerships or expansion of services that independent agencies can offer their insureds. We hope that 2015 will bring more announcements about what the RMV is going to do with independent insurance agents, since many of these agencies are an integral part of the fabric of the 351 towns and cities in the Commonwealth. Wouldn’t you agree?
