By Anthea Passmore
Buffalo, NY – Registering a vehicle or obtaining a drivers license has just been made easier, especially for residents of North Buffalo. Erie County Clerk David Swarts has added the North Buffalo Community Center to the mobile auto bureau's list of locations.
Swarts has found a creative way to provide cost-effective DMV services for Erie County through mobile auto bureaus. The North Buffalo site is the newest location. The mobile unit is already operating in four other locations.
Swarts said auto bureau services are competitive and motorists can choose where they go. The competitiveness has been a direct resulted of closures of DMV offices in the Buffalo area because of the county budget crisis. As a result, Swarts says the county has seen a decrease in revenue and transactions.
"The county has seen its revenue that should have been derived from DMV services go down by roughly 50 percent," Swarts said. "That means that money is going to somewhere else. The loss of that money has contributed to the county's deficit problems."
Legislator Majority Leader Lynn Marinelli said that she has heard through her constituents the desire for more accessible community services.
"This is very consistent with what I've heard," Marinelli said. "They want neighborhood-based services such as the DMV. So, this is some good news in a year of bad news."
Many North Buffalo residents had patronized the now closed auto bureau located nearby in Amherst.
Delaware District Common Councilmember Marc Coppola said the city allows the use of the North Buffalo Community Center and that the mobile operation incurs minimal costs.
"This doesn't cost anything," Coppola said. "To be able to come into the center and provide this at no cost is a benefit to the community. My constituents had used that Northtowns auto bureau extensively. So, now they can come here. It's quite easy to get here."
The North Buffalo Community Center will provide DMV services every Monday from 10:00am until 3:00pm.