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akartans now have another valid reason to go to shopping malls — to get their driver and vehicle licenses renewed.

Tresty Putriani, 27, said that with her hectic working schedule, the presence of the outlet to renew her driver’s license at the Gandaria City shopping mall in South Jakarta was helpful.

“It’s closer to my office, so it’s easier to find time to sneak out amid my tight schedule,” she said while waiting for her turn to be photographed for the new license.

When she arrived at the mall, the outlet was still closed for lunch. But that did not upset her as it meant she had time to stroll around the mall.

“What’s also good about having the driver’s license outlet in malls is that I can have my lunch while waiting for the officers to come back,” she said.

Another Jakartan, Sri Rejeki, agreed with Tresty, saying that she did not need to go to the Jakarta Police’s driver license unit in Daan Mogot, West Jakarta — an area notorious for its heavy traffic — to get her license renewed.

“The process is fast, besides, you don’t need to queue too long as there are not many people coming here unlike at the police station,” she said.

Located on Gandaria City’s first floor, the outlet usually serves more people wanting to renew their vehicle licenses than driver’s licenses.

On the other hand, at the outlet in Blok M Square, also in South Jakarta, more people come to renew driver’s licenses.

The outlet in Blok M Square was the first launched by the police on Dec. 6 in a bid to improve the public service.

First Adj. Insp. Mitra Bastaman, who was in charge at the outlet, said there were at least 50 people coming to the ground floor of Blok M Square outlet every day for driver’s license renewals.

“We open every day, even on national holidays. The process is fast, only about 10 minutes, and I think the air-conditioned room is another reason why many people choose to come here,” he said, adding that the outlet usually saw less people registering a week or two before the monthly payday.

From Friday to Saturday, the outlet in Blok M opens from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays and national holidays.

Besides Blok M and Gandaria City, there are three other outlets where residents can take advantage of the service: Mal Artha Gading in North Jakarta; Mal Taman Palem in Cengkareng, West Jakarta; and Cililitan Wholesale Center in East Jakarta.

There are three outlets in the Greater Jakarta area that offer vehicle registrations only: Depok Town Square, Plaza Pondok Gede and Metropolitan Mall in Bekasi.

The establishment of outlets in malls is another move by the Jakarta Police to better serve Jakartans. Since early last year, the police have also started a mobile driver-license operation across the city.

Only driver’s licenses and licenses for cars and motorcycles that have expired within the past year can be extended at the mobile offices and mall outlets.

In 2007, the Jakarta Police also had a door-to-door service where a police officer would come to the houses of those whose vehicle’s ownership registration or taxes were near expiry.

Customers needed to show their vehicle’s documents and pay the registration fee or the tax without additional charges.

But about six months after it was launched, it gradually stopped for reasons that are not clear.