GLEN BURNIE, MD (October 26, 2016) -- The Maryland Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) and the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) today announced the opening of the 10th new self-service Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program (VEIP) kiosk, located at 6340 Woodside Ct, Columbia, MD at the existing full-service Howard County VEIP station. Like the other nine self-service kiosks, which are conveniently installed at existing VEIP and MVA offices throughout the greater Washington and Baltimore regions, the new Howard County self-service kiosk is available 24/7*. As part of Governor Larry Hogan’s plan to reduce fees, the emissions test cost at the kiosks was reduced from $14 to $10 in February 2016, and has resulted in a savings of $45,252 for Maryland residents.
“Marylanders expect and deserve the best customer service possible from their state government,” said Governor Hogan. “This fee reduction is another example of our administration’s commitment to providing convenient, effective, and affordable services for Maryland's hard-working families.”
The self-service VEIP kiosks first launched in August 2015 at the Glen Burnie VEIP station and the Gaithersburg MVA branch office. In April 2016, the number of self-service VEIP kiosks expanded to nine with the addition of the easy-to use devices at the Bel Air, Beltsville, Frederick and Waldorf MVA branch offices, and the Annapolis, Edgewood and Owings Mills VEIP stations. For a complete list of self-service kiosk locations and addresses, please click here. The nine kiosks have performed 13,246 VEIP tests and have an overall customer satisfaction rating of 89 percent, with a 90 percent customer satisfaction rating in September.
“We’re hearing from customers that they appreciate the ease of the self-service kiosks,” said MVA Administrator Christine Nizer. “Expanding to Columbia will allow more Marylanders the opportunity to complete their emissions test at a time that is convenient for them.”
The self-service VEIP kiosks conduct the same diagnostic test performed by technicians at full-service VEIP stations. Customers simply plug the testing device into their vehicle’s computer diagnostic system to determine if the engine is working property and the vehicle’s emissions are meeting Maryland’s environmental standards. More than 192,000 vehicles in Howard County (72 percent of registered vehicles) are eligible to use the self-service VEIP kiosks for the emissions test. Customers can view a self-service kiosk video demonstration here.
Eligible vehicles include: light-duty vehicles (under 8,500 pounds gross vehicle weight) model year 2005 and newer, and heavy-duty vehicles (between 8,501 and 14,000 pounds gross vehicle weight) model year 2008 and newer. Vehicles not meeting these requirements, or vehicles past their inspection due dates, must go to a full-service VEIP location for testing, which charge the $14 fee.
“Strong partnerships and steady investments are paying off with cleaner air for Marylanders to breathe,” said Maryland Secretary of the Environment Ben Grumbles. “The VEIP program plays a role in Maryland's air quality progress, and will be even more successful down the road because of our firm commitment to increasing driver convenience and modernizing testing technology.”
Maryland’s VEIP program is required by the Federal Clean Air Act to reduce ground-level ozone air pollution. Vehicles meeting VEIP testing requirements must have their emissions tested every two years. The VEIP testing network consists of 18 centralized inspection stations located in 13 counties and Baltimore City, where the air quality must meet federal clean air standards. Envirotest is the private contractor responsible for the VEIP’s day-to-day operations. The VEIP program is jointly administered by the MVA and MDE.
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*All self-service kiosks are temporarily unavailable every Saturday evening from approximately 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. to download weekly data.
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