Moved to Buffalo from Texas and needed a New York State drivers license as well as an updated car title/registration for an out of state vehicle. Chris helped me with both, and he was patient, quick, knowledgeable and prepared to answer all of my questions and give guidance on forms/documents. I don't think I've ever had a good experience at the DMV, but Chris was amazing. read more

Friendliest DMV I have ever been to. In and out under an hour with everything I needed. Painless

The reps are unnecessarily obnoxious, extremely rude to me and many customers here, as well as to the bank who takes care of my car payments. Bank wanted to fax a form to DMV and dmv wouldn't supply a fax number. This DMV as I am certain, many other locations are definitely banking ALOT of bad karma! This place needs a complete overhall ! They need to be audited. I am going to look into this! read more

I can not give a bad review for the DMV because, it's not a place that is supposed to be fun. I expect to be in long lines, and it doesn't matter what business you have to conduct here. Your going to be waiting for quite sometine. To make the experience somewhat better, I suggest you make sure you have all your paperwork in hand. Also, many of the services provided here can be done online. It helps also to have a positive attitude, especially when speaking with the clerk's. They have a tough job dealing, with the multiple personalities that's out there. They don't need a never headache from you. read more

See all

Had my first experience at this DMV location today and I've gotta say, it's the best experience I've had in my thirty years of life at any WNY DMV. I get that no one likes going to the DMV, people actually compare it to super painful, annoying, awful things. I think there are phrases out there about a trip to the dmv, and all things people would rather do. My tips for making it easier on you: -get there as soon as they open, or as close to opening as possible. I got there 9 minutes after opening, I was in and out in 60 minutes. -do your research online. Find the hours for the branch you are going to. See when they offer testing, if you need a test. Make a reservation online if your location allows it. -dress in light layers if you can, it'll be easier for you to get through the metal detector process at this location -Know what proofs you need ahead of time. Have all your paperwork together in one place. Don't be acting surprised when they ask where your birth certificate is. Don't be acting a fool because you don't have it and you wasted an hour there and can't accomplish anything. Know what paperwork you need and have it ready! It's all online, they give you a checklist on the website! read more

Erie County Auto Bureau - Departments of Motor Vehicles Near Me - Buffalo, New York

See all

This was the worst customer service I ever encountered in my entire life if I didn't have to give it a star I wouldn't it deserves 0 stars they are so rude they didn't let me finish talking and kept talking over me I do not recommend this place. read more

I returned some plates here today for a car I just sold because apparently the insurance card asks for these vouchers to remove the vehicle from the policy. I expected to be in here for hours, but found that I could luckily return these plates right away without a wait at the customer service desk up front. Here how the convo went: Me: "Uhhh...hi I'd like to return these plates." Her: "Sure, let me get the last name on the vehicle and $1 please." Me: "$1? I was under the impression that I would be getting paid for giving these plates back to you ;)!" Her: "**Laughs --- Oh no, that's the NYS Recycling Fee. You may get some credit back on the vehicle though to use toward putting another one on the road." Me: "Ahh, too bad. The other one is already on the road. Thanks anyway!" That was the jist of it, so ladies and gentleman..here's a tip: If you bought another car, but still have a year's worth of registration on a car you're looking to sell -- surrender the plates up and you can use the credit to put the vehicle you put on the road, but NYS will not refund any registration fees otherwise. All in all, a pleasant and quick experience..and I'm glad the clerk had such a nice sense of humor. read more

I was dreading going to the DMV. We all know the stereotypes, jokes and stigmas. It was time for me to renew my license and walked down to the office during my lunch break; totally expecting to having to take an extended lunch. To my surprise I was only there for about 20 minutes! My advice would be to be prepared. Since I had my renewal paperwork pre-filled prior to coming to the office I was able to receive an express ticket. The staff got me in, out and back on my way! I was able to make it back to the office in time to still enjoy my lunch. read more

Worst place the girl in booth 16 talking to ppl and their kids any kind of way talking about I'm. Calling your number when I call you you come... bitch we are not slaves then telling the lady she's tired of this sh## who are you to speak to ppl like that I real hope you have triplets and no father for them.. leave your problems at home read more

Went to the DMV located in the Rath building to get a replacement driver's license. I'm utterly FURIOUS that my visit to this location did not meet my expectations at all. I came to the downtown location to obtain some good DMV horror stories and perhaps a sense of righteous indignation. I have listed my complaints and grievances below: 1. Parking - One of the primary complaints about this location is lack of parking. Since I live nearby, I was able to walk to the building and avoid this situation. You can't imagine my disappointment at not being able to arrive in a huff while exchanging knowing looks with my fellow patrons. 2. Wait time - I spent the last few days mentally stockpiling metaphors and analogies to describe the atrocious wait time. Upon arrival, I was faced with a meager two-person line. All of my metaphors and analogies wasted. Now I need to find ANOTHER government agency in which to use gems like "lines so long that Scarface would have been satisfied." Way to deprive this world of sunshine, DMV. 3. Employees - After days of practicing icy stares and shouting, "Unacceptable!" in preparation for the bureaucratic gatekeeper ghouls, imagine my utter disgust at being confronted with not one, but TWO different employees with the nerve to not only buck my expectations by being kind, but SMILING and making polite conversation. I was left without nary an opportunity in which to shower employees with bits of frantically torn forms. Not even the chance to give an eye roll. Finally, to add insult to injury, my entire ordeal lasted a mere 10 minutes. How am I supposed to cultivate and execute proper wrath in such a short span of time? Being irritated at the DMV is a basic element of the human experience. You have denied me this right. Hope you're happy with what you've done, you monsters. read more

One word: Disaster There is no need to wonder why our county is such a hot mess. It's our proud county DMV employees. Two things I learned today: (i) apparently, some people think that the DMV is an appropriate substitute for daycare and (ii) some people think the DMV is an appropriate place to pick up women. I should note that (i) and (ii) are not mutually exclusive. Yeah, you, with the messy screaming kid, I want you. I've been to the DMV in SmAllbany. You pick a number and sit on a bench and go up when your number is called. Civilized! read more

I recently visited the Northtown Plaza location of the NYS DMV to get an NYS license and register my car, Lolita, and had a mixed experience. The good: - They have one line in the beginning where everyone waits, and the clerk can then direct you to the proper forms and assign you a number to wait. Theoretically, this is a good system: you can make sure you have what you need, and certain processes (like my new license) can be started while you wait. - Peggy over at Desk #8 was a doll. She helped me with all my forms, clarified the confusing bits, and even offered to look up the weight of my car when the bizarre NYS title form required it. Cross your fingers and hope it's her you see when your number comes up. - Employees here are hip enough to listen to 97 Rock, which blares out jams like Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here," while you wait. Only in Buffalo. - There's a kids' section where kids can play while parents wait. A nice touch. -- The bad: - I was there for about three hours. Three hours! That is a very long time. Plan on taking the morning or afternoon off if you go, and bring something interesting to do. - There's no apparent rhyme or reason to the number system. First it's 105, then 718, then 510. Not helpful if you'd like to get your number and then head next door for a bagel, as you never know when it's going to come up. - The clerk at the first desk forgot to give me the most important form that I needed, even after I double-checked by asking, "Do I need that form?" - It's difficult to figure out beforehand how much you're going to have to pay for certain things because the DMV website is a bit byzantine. Be sure to come prepared with your checkbook and enough benjamins in your bank account to cover incidentals. -- Bottom line: if you come with proper (read: low) expectations, the right forms (which you should research online before you go to cover your own behind), and a good book to read, the DMV is not an unpleasant place. But if you're in a hurry or feeling confused -- well, a visit to the DMV is not going to help you with that. More info: http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/ethrum.htm read more

This location is now closed. The DMV is located in the Rath building, entrance on Pearl. It's a GREAT centralized location for all your county needs. Parking is full of SUCK, but, get down here early to get through the process quickly. A good idea for parking, park around theater district area, then catch the subway (free above ground) to main place station. read more

You cannot get thr to a customer service agent. The automated system has you hit about 6 numbers.( press 1, press 2) then tells you nobody is available. I ended up making an appointment at the West Seneca branch in order to ask a question about transferring a title to my daughter who lives in PA. Horrible syste. read more

Really horrible customer service man called my number along with a different number at the same time so I had to wait while other number after me got called finally got seen and they totally wasted my time eat me sit there for over an hour to tell me I needed something else just skip downtown and go straight to Cheektowaga I highly recommend. read more

Totally satisfied with their service and actually I got a sense of relief by the experience there. I'm a visa holder, and I went there to replace my drivers license so that the visa expiration date on the license would be updated. First, I was greeted by a pleasant lady. I filled out the form and got a picture taken. I waited in the seat for 20 minutes(for 10 people ahead of me) and Mr. Christopher(like Columbus) took very good care of me. All the concerns about my visa status were unnecessary. Since I will have to replace it every year, I wish I could request Christopher every time! read more

I visited the Erie County Auto Bureau's Northtown Plaza location this afternoon and was pleasantly surprised. Though there were only two clerks at the reception desk and the line was long, it moved quickly because the clerks were so efficient. I was there to return a license plate and the petite, middle-aged woman with blonde hair and glasses managed to handle my transaction inside of a minute -- no forms, no fees -- she just zipped along. read more

Was pleasantly surprised with my visit to the downtown Buffalo DMV. The gentleman that took my photo was such a doll, he was trying to make me smile by telling jokes. Then my wait time was supposed to be 19 minutes, I was called after waiting maybe 5-10 minutes (I barely had time to finish the paperwork). The clerk who renewed my license was pleasant, funny, and very knowledgeable. I was so happy to have gotten this done on my lunch hour with time to spare to eat! :) Thanks DMV! read more