The Ewa Beach community in Oʻahu now enjoys the convenience of renewing their vehicle registrations while bagging groceries, thanks to the installation of a new DMV self-service kiosk at the local Safeway supermarket. The bright yellow touch-screen terminal, which has found its home at 91-1119 Keaunui Drive, marks the latest expansion of the self-service DMV system devised to streamline the mundane task of registration renewal.
Hailing from the city's Department of Customer Services, the DMV kiosk system processed a staggering 165,656 registrations in 2024—a 9 percent leap from the previous year. Offering services akin to an ATM, these kiosks are situated inside various Safeway and Foodland supermarkets, where the unattended technology stands ready to assist residents with their DMV needs. The kiosks, being accessible at supermarkets with extended hours, provide the kind of round-the-clock service that could, on any given day, turn a late-night snack run into a productive errand.
The convenience factor is further highlighted by the kiosks’ flexibility in accepting renewals up to 10 months post expiration, albeit with a $16 late fee. A $4 remote transaction fee along with a 2.5 percent fee for credit or debit card transactions supplement the base cost of the service. As mentioned on the city's official website, these DMV kiosks are geared towards modernizing the interaction between the city services and the residents it serves.
Amid the sprawling aisles and checkout lines of supermarkets, spots where the kiosks are deployed include the Foodland in Lāʻie, Waipiʻo Shopping Center, and seven Safeway locations such as Hawai‘i Kai Shopping Center and Kapahulu Shopping Center. "Our DMV self-service kiosks are no longer just a nice-to-have service, but rather a must-have service as we adapt to a need to develop smarter delivery of a basic government function like renewing a motor vehicle registration,” stated Kim Hashiro, director of the city’s Department of Customer Services, as reported by the city's official website.
