$20 No-Show Fee For Drivers Who Miss Road Test Appointment: DVS

MINNESOTA — Minnesotans could be hit with a $20 “no-show” fee if they miss a road-test appointment, under a new law that took effect Monday.

Minnesota closed all of its driver’s license exam offices during the first few weeks of the pandemic in March 2020, creating a huge backlog of people seeking services.

Most are still temporarily shuttered, as the Department of Public Safety’s Driver and Vehicle Services division has only reopened 26 of its 93 locations, as of Friday.

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Officials plan to reopen five more DVS locations by the end of November and reopen all locations by the end of January, the Twin Cities Pioneer Press reported.

Demand for appointments at the 26 open offices has been high, with many people trying to earn or renew their licenses. The bottleneck at DVS offices has been made even worse by those who schedule appointments but don’t show up, according to DVS officials.

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More than 15 percent of people missed their appointments from July to September, according to DVS officials, who said they could have served almost 6,000 people if those missed appointments had been canceled and made available to others.

“We hope we don't have to collect any fees,” DVS Director Pong Xiong said in a news release. “Our preference is to administer every test available.”

The DVS will send an alert about the no-show fee to those who schedule appointments, and customers will also be reminded about the fee several days before their appointments, officials said.

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Customers will not be charged if they cancel their appointment at least 24 hours in advance. All no-show fees will be collected when customers apply for their driver’s license.

Officials said they will consider refunding no-show fees if “unforeseen circumstances” force someone to miss an appointment.