COLUMBUS, Ohio — A trip to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles can be a headache in a normal week, but these days matters are even worse amid crushing backlogs in the aftermath of months-long closures of BMV services due to COVID-19.

Drivers who need to complete a road skills test can now do so by appointment at one of the twelve BMV locations which had reopened as of June 16. Two more locations were scheduled to reopen on June 17. An initial group of six locations had reopened on June 12.

Making an appointment is no easy task, drivers said. Ohio residents have two options to schedule an appointment: calling a phone number, 877-439-8378, or using the BMV’s live chat. Callers on Tuesday were told by an automated operator that the BMV was unable to take any more calls due to higher than normal call volume, while those who opted for the live chat received messages that read, “Unfortunately due to heavy volume we are currently unable to assist you. Please try again later.”

On social media, users reported success spamming both of the two options. One person said after 30 calls, they got through by phone. Another caller said it only took 22 attempts by phone before eventually getting through. Other users reported that repeatedly pressing an “OK” button on the live chat site will eventually activate a conversation.

Appointment availability varied by location for those who were able to get past the initial obstacle of contacting the BMV to schedule one. On the BMV’s Facebook, some users said they were able to schedule an appointment for June, while others said the earliest available appointments were in July.

A 70-person line at the 990 Morse Road BMV location in Columbus Tuesday morning wrapped all the way around the neighboring storefront of The Tile Shop. These lines were for license renewal, plates, and title services, among other non-appointment-based BMV services. People had been lined up since 6:30 a.m. Some were still in line three hours later.

But for those who had coveted road test appointments scheduled for June 16 and for young drivers getting a learner’s permit, the wait time at the BMV location in Columbus was relatively short.

Gahanna resident O’rion Offord said he and his son, a young driver, had lucked out. His son had just turned 15 and a half, and they were able to walk right in through Door B and pass the daunting line to the door for the BMV’s other services.

The employee who was monitoring capacity and manning that door, Door A, must have been the least popular person in this Woodward Park strip mall Tuesday morning. However, she seemed up for the challenge.

“What I would say to the technologically savvy who made appointments online is that you have got to be astute,” she said, chiding those who she said were wise to have used the BMV’s "Get In Line, Online" tool, but failed to select the correct appointment type, which further complicated the sign-in process. “If you’re that astute to go online, you should’ve read all the instructions.”

The crowd around the door grew more displeased as time passed by but the line stood still.
Destynie Eastet said she was confused and frustrated with the process to get in the door to request a temporary license.

“They told me to call to see why my license was blocked, but my call didn’t go through. They said there was no representative available to answer my call,” she said. “Then they told me to go online, but when I went online that didn’t work either.”

Eastet had been waiting for more than two hours. She had no plans to give up.

“I came here. I’m going to do it today,” she said. “Even if I have to stay till nighttime, I’m going to do it.”

Sarah and Ashak Cahedri had been waiting for 40 minutes and were still near the back of the line. The couple had recently moved to Ohio from New York and needed to process a title transfer and get new licenses.

“We probably should’ve done the online check-in, but we didn’t know about it,” Ashak said. “Maybe we’ll have to wait for another hour, maybe two hours, it’s pretty much uncertain.”

BMV could not be reached for comment Tuesday. A statement on its website said to be advised that “there is a substantial number of applicants waiting to take the skills test due to the COVID-19.”

The statement said BMV appreciates Ohioans' patience during the delays.