The State Government has announced two new temporary extended Saturday hours periods for Department of Transport Driver and Vehicle Services centres (DVS), following the ‘success of the Saturday blitz’ held in June and July.
The extended openings, scheduled for 14 September to 5 October 2024 during a portion of the school holidays and from 25 January to 15 February 2025, will see the Cannington, City West, and Mirrabooka DVS centres open from 7:15 am to 2:15 pm on Saturdays, exclusively for driver and vehicle transactions.
During these extended hours, services such as NDIS, marine, dealer transactions, and Practical Driving Assessments (PDAs) will not be available.
The Driving Assessment Centre in Kelmscott will continue to operate on Saturday mornings by appointment only.
Earlier this year, the government cited a surge in interstate and overseas migration, increased customer demand for services that could be processed online or at Australia Post, and challenges in recruiting and retaining staff as the reasons for extending Saturday hours.
In the previous eight-week period, from June to July, more than 6,300 customers visited the three centres on Saturdays, averaging 798 visitors daily.
Minister Assisting the Transport Minister David Michael is pleased to see the Department of Transport’s ongoing efforts to reduce wait times and improve customer service.
“The first eight-week blitz produced a positive response from both customers and DoT staff, and we hope that these additional blitzes will continue to make visits to DVS centres more convenient for customers seeking to conduct driver and vehicle-related transactions,” he said.
“As we have discovered, customers have happily embraced the opportunity to visit a DVS centre on a Saturday without having to take time off school or work, and the extended hours were particularly popular with learner drivers.”
According to the State Government, DVS staff who participated in the extended Saturday hours earlier this year reported positive interactions with customers, with 83 per cent of staff rating the initiative between 7 and 10 for overall sentiment.
The Department of Transport also encourages customers to use DoTDirect for online payments and licence management at transport.wa.gov.au/dotdirect wherever possible or visit a participating Australia Post PhotoPoint location to update their driver’s licence photo.
