The Española office for the state Motor Vehicle Division can expect some new competition in the city.
A privately-owned company, Rio Arriba MVD Services, is expected to open in the upcoming weeks and will offer some of the same services as the state-owned office.
The company will offer title and registration services through the Division, but will do so in a separate location at 312 Paseo de Oñate just west of the Rio Grande.
Owner Melissa Ayala said she has finalized all of the necessary permits, with the exception of getting a state license.
“It’s not associated with the state at all,” she said. “It’s a privately-owned office, but I have to get a license from the state, which is what is taking me so long.”
Ayala said she is originally from Española but lived in California for more than a decade, where she worked at the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
“I just recently moved back to the area, but I live in Rio Rancho now,” Ayala said. “When I got back, I started to work for the state, but I wanted to go into business for myself.”
Ayala said she expected to stay open longer hours in order to accommodate people who cannot make it into the state Motor Vehicle Department, which is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Ayala said the new store will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
The new company will offer title and registration services but will not offer driver licenses or identification cards, Division Director Ken Ortiz said.
“There are two types of companies that contract with (the Department),” Ortiz said. “One is a full-service retail agent, which does everything the Department does and the other is a title and registration company, like the one coming in Española.”
Ortiz said the Department determines which cities have enough demand to support a full-service business and then requests companies to bid on the project. In the case of a title and registration company, a private individual simply needs to apply and pass a background check.
“They contract with (the Department), collect fees from customers, get their information and then remit the payment and information to the state headquarters in Santa Fe,” Ortiz said. “We actually print the titles and registrations and send them to the holder. The companies make their money by charging customers an additional fee.”
According to the Division’s Website, Rio Arriba County MVD Services will be the 18th privately-owned company in the state under contract with the Division.
The state’s registration fees are based on the type of vehicle and often the weight of that vehicle. Registration for a motorcycle costs $15 whereas a passenger vehicle that weighs less than two thousand pounds costs $27 to register.
The new company should give customers another option besides having to go to the Division’s office along Santa Clara Peak Road, Ortiz said.
“The population maybe needs a second option,” Ortiz said. “It may cost a little more, but it gives people an option. The good thing for us is that we’re not having to pay overhead costs like we would for our own offices. A private company charges its own fees to make up for that.”
Several residents said a new office would help alleviate the wait at the current Division office.
“It would be a good alternative instead of having to come here and wait,” Española resident Priscilla Rael said outside of the office on Santa Clara Peak Road. “Sometimes I’ll get here first thing in the morning and there will already be people waiting outside the door.”