'DMV 2 Go' on way to campus

Need to visit the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and apply for a driver’s license or ID? If you wait until next week, they can kind of visit you.

The DMV will bring its DMV 2 Go service to George Mason University from June 13 through June 16.

DMV 2 Go, a 32-foot handicapped-accessible mobile office, will arrive at Lot A in the Fairfax campus on June 13 - 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The mobile office will visit the Arlington campus on June 15 - 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in front of Founders Hall.

“DMV 2 Go is a great thing for college students,” said Melanie Stokes, DMV spokesperson. “Out-of-state students wanting to remain in the Commonwealth can get their vehicle registered and re-titled or bring paperwork for a Virginia driver’s license and learn about the requirements for driving in Virginia."

DMV 2 Go provides the opportunity to apply for or renew IDs and driver’s licenses, obtain a copy of your driving record, order disabled parking placards, request a personal identification number (PIN) to set up a myDMV account, search for state services through a wireless Virginia Internet portal, as well as all other DMV transactions.

Janet Walker, work life and communications coordinator in human resources/payroll at Mason, worked to bring DMV 2 Go to the Fairfax and Arlington campuses after the service was offered, and well-received, at the Prince William campus this April. Carrie McVicker, events coordinator at Prince William, suggested bringing DMV 2 Go to campus.

“We heard about it from our colleagues out there,” Walker said.

DMV 2 Go is open to anyone -- students, faculty and staff, as well as the local community.

“It’s a time saver,” said Walker. “We bring services to campus to make it easier for people to get what they need done.”

The nearest DMV office is in Fair Oaks Mall.

The mobile service was just launched this February when the DMV bought an RV from the Virginia Health Department. The RV initially served as a patient care unit, Stokes said.

“We recycled the vehicle and made it into a DMV office, giving it a new life,” Stokes said.

On the first week of February, DMV 2 Go was stationed across from the Virginia General Assembly Building in Richmond. There, people who utilized its services signed a guestbook with positive feedback.

“Comments included ‘heaven on wheels’,” Stokes said.

Originally, the DMV had four mobile offices throughout Virginia, which were discontinued in 2002 for budgetary reasons.