The Illinois Secretary of State’s office is opening a new senior-only Driver and Motor Vehicles service center at the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center, it announced Monday.

The service center comes with a series of recent changes made to the “Skip-the-Line” program at the state’s DMV facilities.

In the Sept. 25, statement, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias wrote that “seniors at these locations will not need appointments,” providing a walk-in option along with standard appointments geared toward those over 70. Full driver and motor vehicle services are included, as well as in-car driving tests.

The “Skip-the-Line” program, launched on Sept. 1, is meant to reduce lines at the busiest DMVs in the state by offering an appointment scheduling option.

Additionally, the program also includes new call center features meant to assist seniors aged 70 and older by providing on-the-spot information, assistance with online renewals and the option to schedule appointments. For immediate assistance, seniors may call 800-252-8980.

In the statement, Giannoulias said the program has already brought “vast improvement compared to the hour-plus waits that Illinosans had come to expect,” but added there are still improvements to be made. 

Within three weeks from the launch of the program, Illinois DMVs had more than 165,000 customers by appointment, according to the statement.

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