With COVID-19 restrictions lifted across the state  on May 29, there were still some confusion regarding social distancing along with which businesses still required masks and which ones relaxed the mask mandate and so on.

Another business you may be wondering about is the  Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV). Everyone at some point has to conduct business whether it's updating/renewing a license, scheduling a road test, renewing your registration etc. The good thing is many transactions with the RMV can be done online but if you're old school or your internet is out, you may want to make a trip in person. Since we are on the downswing of the COVID-19 pandemic, you'll need to know what the current protocols are when making an in-person visit to the RMV.

According to the RMV, customers will continue to be served by appointments only at open Service Centers, and customers who are unvaccinated will be required to wear a face covering for transactions. In addition, the RMV will continue with including dedicated hours on Wednesdays to serve senior citizens at some locations, holding suspension hearings by phone, allowing learner’s permit tests online, and using state vehicles for anyone taking road tests. (Everyone in a vehicle for a road test must wear a face covering, regardless of vaccination status.)

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The Registry’s partner for many transactions, AAA, will also continue with the system of serving AAA members who make appointments.

So, which initiatives are remaining in place?

  • Appointments for in-person transactions at open customer service locations will continue, and customers must wear a face covering for an in-person transaction if unvaccinated.
  • Senior hours for customers 65 years of age and older on Wednesdays at specific locations will continue.
  • Road tests will still be offered using state vehicles only. Road test sponsors will be required to be in the road test vehicle beginning on Tuesday, Jun. 15. Everyone in a road test vehicle must wear a face covering regardless of vaccination status.
  • Registration Drop Off Centers for drop off and pick up service for vehicle transactions will continue.
  • Online learner’s permit exams will continue and customers must still make an in-person appointment for the application process.
  • Suspension hearings by telephone will continue.

Executive Orders Rescinded:

The period of time to transfer a vehicle registration will once again be 7 calendar days from the date a person disposes of a vehicle to register the new one. (During the pandemic, a longer grace period was given of 21 days. As of May 29, the 7-day calendar timeline went into effect which was pre-pandemic policy.)

As of May 29, in-vehicle observation hours for Junior Operators reverted back to Driving Schools for applicants who obtained a learner’s permit on or after 5/29/2021 requiring junior operators to complete 6 hours observing another student driver, and 40 supervised driving hours with a parent or guardian. (This was the rule pre-pandemic.)

You can get more information on transactions and additional details on customer locations, by going here or here.

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To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

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