Texas Department of Public Safety

I love this location. Clean, quiet and quick.

I did not know about the online check in. Note to self: Always check Unilocal before doing anything in life.
So, you walk in and you have to stand in line at the welcome desk to get a number. Then, you sit and wait to be called. Thankfully, everything went quickly and smoothly and I was out in an hour. The staff was also extremely friendly. I have to say that this was the best DMV experience I’ve had so far.

My best trip to the DPS office ever! In and out in 15 minutes for a DL renewal and name change. Organized, clean and the staff is super nice. Eloise helped me and she was so pleasant!

I was told this particular location was the best for a quick license renewal… so in I went. As far as the DPS goes, the Research Blvd. location is as good as it gets. I was in and out within 15 minutes on a Tuesday morning. They didn’t have any super long lines compared to the usual experiences I’ve endured getting a new driver’s license. The place was clean and the staff was friendly and organized.
The only thing I wish they’d upgrade to is automated online applications. I filled everything out from the links provided online before I arrived, and yet the girl working still had to go back through and manually enter all my information into the system. It’s 2015… you’d think they would have a more tech-​savvy process in place by now.
But all in all, good experience, and I would recommend this location over the other places in Austin if you are looking for a smooth and quick process.

This location is the one closest to my home but from now on I’ll be using other locations because of the attitude I received from an employee here. While everything was done in a timely manner I won’t be back.

OK, it’s not someplace people WANT to go. I took a friend who is disabled and they came out from behind the counter and made sure he was asked why he was there and what he was trying to accomplish. They gave him a special # and told him he would be called up next. Good thing because there were at least 7 sixteen year olds waiting to get their licenses that day.
They allowed me to assist my friend with his paperwork and new photo.
WOW and my thanks to whomever it was that changed this nightmare of a wait into something more pleasant than I was expecting.

Thank you DPS for helping me update my ID and change my name! Married life is some serious work.

Came in to get my residency established in the great state of Texas. Was in and out of office in under 30minutes. Convenient location and friendly staff.
I don’t want to come back here, but if I do I would to this location

Rude, clueless, and complete lack of customer service. I will go to a different location tomorrow. Hopefully they will be able to explain the proper paperwork to get a learners permit.

Very friendly, long-​ish wait (about 20 minutes) on a Friday morning when it didn’t feel like it was very busy at all. Very helpful when I didn’t have all my paperwork to establish my residency for my license.

Well maybe texas is an alien world because this is not how these kind of dmv places go. What a dream come true. Kinda quiet, no screaming kids and no African American women cursing on their phones. Helpful staff, easy parking and clean building. I dreaded this trip for so long and it was actually a pleasurable experience!

No one likes going to the DPS.
That being said, my experience at this particular location was O-​K. I signed up for a driving test online. When I came to the office during noontime on the day of my appointment, I only had to wait approximately 20 minutes. While filling out my paperwork, I overheard two employees mocking a foreign woman who was confused over which paperwork to turn in. Very unprofessional and off-​putting.
On the bright side, the lady who conducted the actual driving test (forgot to ask for her name) was very courteous and nice. In fact, she dissipated much of my anxiety by providing helpful commentary throughout the test.

Get here about 4:15 — 4:30pm for a short wait. Plenty of staff– not too friendly, but getting the job done. Who really wants to chat at the dps anyways?!

I changed address so I came in personal to get a new driver license. I didn’t receive new license after one and a half month later. I came in again and they said my address was wrong so the mail had been returned.
That is not possible. The proof is printed in the temporary license paper, I wrote the correct one to them.
My guess the stuff typed wrong in the mail address. They wasted my time and I don’t even know if they can deliver right to me the second time.

Paradigm of inefficiency, even for a govt office.
I have gone there when there is line outside the door and when there were no people, makes no bloody difference, its take the same amount of inordinate time. This is for the simplest of things like replacing/​renewing DL.
If there is a line to give you a ticket for your cause, I don’t know why it moves so slowly. Then you get a ticket and you wait and wait. Then you go to the counter, which at its peak time has 4 people. And they take random breaks. They have you sit in front of them and and keep looking at the screen (I think they are finishing Harry Potter) without talking to you. This happens even when you don’t have to get a ticket. Happens when there are 2 people serving 2 people!
Please go to the Pflugerville DPS (you can sign in online) and finish your work in 20 mins or less and not in 2 hours.
Can’t believe this POS has 3 stars, you guys are kind. Glad Unilocal does not have 0 rating

So, yeah, it’s a DPS. It’s difficult to give higher than a 3 star rating, as it is just the nature of the beast.
I’ve been here a couple times now and, each time, the experience has been, dare I say, pleasant? No, maybe that’s the wrong word, I think I’m going for «not tedious,» as these things tend to be. It’s never been crazy busy (of course, I avoid going during typical lunch hours) and I’ve always been in and out in less than an hour. Today, less than thirty minutes.
The system they have set up is pretty efficient, you walk in and head to the welcome desk. Tell the nice person behind the desk what you’re there for and they give you paperwork to fill out and a number. There’s an automated voice and a sign that announces which number is up and which station to go to. Easy peasy.
The guy I spoke with today was very nice, he asked about my weekend and if I watched the Super Bowl. He joked with me when I put the wrong hand on the finger scanner thing. My picture didn’t turn out TOO horrible (at least in black and white, maybe I’ll change my mind when I receive the actual license in the mail) and he commented on the huge smile I have in the picture.
Usually, I do these things online. For whatever reason, I couldn’t this year. Without a second thought, this was the location I headed to.

Atmosphere: Well, it’s the DMV so it’s what I imagine purgatory would be like. A bunch of lost souls who look tired and aggravated with a few people muttering under the breath how they wish they could set the place on fire.
Service: I’ve had to come to this location twice. The first time everything went smoothly from beginning to end. The second time not so much. The ‘clerk’ who you HAVE to check in with gave me the wrong paperwork, so I spent just shy of 10 minutes filling out the wrong paperwork.
The first time I was in and out in 30 minutes with no complications.
The second time I was in and out in over an hour and it was full of complications. Thankfully the woman who helped me straightened everything out and apologized frequently for all the crap I went through because I didn’t have to do ANY of the stuff I was told I had to do before even getting there.
Price: Not applicable
Overall: I’ve had better and I’ve had worse experiences at a DMV. Your best bet if you’re in the North Austin area is to either go to the one in Georgetown or the new Mega DMV in Pflugerville which both seem to do things much smoother than this office is capable of doing.
I won’t be coming to this one again but I don’t think it’s the nightmare people make it out to be.

I’m getting old. I’m at the DPS to get my licence renewed — basically take a new picture with more grey hair, pray that I can still ready line 3 of the eye chart, and pay $ 25.
If I had it to do again, here is my strategy:
* Come early
* Bring a book
* Grab the stadium seat from the garage
This place opens at 8:00. BE HERE AT 7:45. The 15 minutes you wait for it to open is a shorter wait than the initial 20 — 30 minutes you wait to just get a number at the info desk.
Bring something to read. If you get desperate, you can pass the time drafting a Unilocal review on the tiny keyboard of your smartphone. If you get my drift.
The hard plastic seats in the waiting room are nasty hard. Bring your stadium seat cushion that you use for football games.
Overall, I can’t complain. Whatever delays and lines that are here, are not the choice or in control of the workers. They are all pleasant and hard working.
So I spent and hour Unilocaling an dreaming up new smartphone keyboard inventions. Could be worse!

It was my turn to go back to the DPS to renew my license. I decide to go on one of my vacation days during the last week of December. Big mistake was going on December 27^th, the first day they were open after Christmas. Everyone else must have been taking vacation time to do the same thing I was.
I managed to get the very last parking space in the lot. Walk in to find I am at the end of a very long line. The time is exactly 9AM when I get on line with 40 people before me. At 9:25, I reach the Information Desk (Not Bad of a wait, which equals less than a minute per person for the Info Lady.). She is very pleasant and efficient. She hands me a form to complete and my number is 21.
I sit myself down on their rock hard plastic chairs. The wait begins with me watching the digital board of the Stations and what number they are serving. This became the source of my amusement for the next hour. It was jumping around on what numbers were being called. Number 703 being served at Station 5. Number 525 being served at Station 1. Number 15 being served at Station 8. There was no way to determine how long the wait would be.
BF and I talked about him leaving to get some coffee for us. His concern is if he left would he be able to get a parking space when he came back. After an hour, they finally called my number. My ass was very grateful to move again.
The girl at station 5 was again very pleasant. Handed her my paperwork. Read line 4 on the eye chart. Got finger printed. Gave her a check and got a temp license in return. Got the hell out of there.
Back in the parking lot, I notice a corvette badly parked in a handicap spot without handicap plates or tag. Oh, buddy, wrong place to pull the «I’m special and can park anywhere Stunt!» Hope he gets a ticket. It took 5 minutes to get out of my space because two other cars were vieing for my spot but wouldn’t give me enough room to exit. THANK GOD this only happens once every twelve years.

Listen, it’s the DMV so it’s supposed to be crappy experience.
By and large, except for the long wait (+1hour to renew my license), the experience was painless, straight-​forward and the employees were pleasant.
As long as we’re going to have this necessary evil, I’ll gladly take this satellite office. About three miles from my house with an easy to follow and efficient system for calling you up when it’s your turn.
You could do worse. Go to the DMV in Providence and get back to me.