DMV Announces Shared Network For NYMA Emissions Inspections

ALBANY, NY (09/25/2008)(readMedia)-- Commissioner David J. Swarts of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) today announced a new program called the "NYTEST Shared Network" for vehicle emissions inspections in the New York metropolitan area, which includes all of the boroughs of the City, Long Island, and Westchester and Rockland Counties.

The 1990 Federal Clean Air Act requires New York State to conduct an inspection program to help reduce harmful emissions from most gasoline-powered passenger cars and light-duty trucks. The New York Transient Emission Short Test, or NYTEST, is the system for emission testing of vehicles that are model years 1995 or older. Currently, there are approximately 700,000 vehicles in the NYMA New York metropolitan area that require the NYTEST out of a total of more than 4.4 million vehicles registered in the region. But, more importantly, as required by regulation, every State certified inspection station in the New York metropolitan area must have the equipment for doing the NYTEST. Therefore, the "NYTEST Shared Network" concept was created to address the large overcapacity of minimally used inspection equipment available to service the necessary vehicles.

The Shared Network is a voluntary collaboration of inspection stations that have entered into an agreement approved by the DMV where one or more of the entities are not required to do the NYTEST inspection procedure. The Network will consist of facilities being "sending" and "receiving" emissions inspection stations for NYTEST customers. A sending station, which will not have the NYTEST equipment, will advise motorists of a receiving station within a five mile radius that a customer will be recommended to for completion of the emissions inspection. The regulations outline the eligibility criteria and procedures necessary for approval by the DMV to enter into this business partnership. The shared network therefore maximizes resources and reduces costs to service stations, while maintaining high levels of testing availability and customer service.

The NYTEST Shared Network is voluntary for stations, and DMV will control the number of stations allowed to participate to ensure there is an adequate number of stations to serve the public. Consumers may look up the location of inspection stations at a new regulated business look-up webpage available on the DMV web site at http://www.nysdmv.com/faclookup/default.html. Consumers need only answer a few questions about their vehicle and where they wish to have the vehicle inspected, and the web site will list the stations who maintain the necessary inspection equipment. We anticipate that most consumers who need this inspection will be able to go to the inspection station that they have used in the past.

The complete text of the new regulatory changes can be found on the DMV web site at: www.nysdmv.com.

-30-