Painless stop at Midtown's new SOS branch

👋 Hey, it's Sam. I had a surprisingly pleasant experience recently at the new Secretary of State branch in Midtown.

Why it matters: SOS branches around Detroit can get extremely busy, forcing residents to wait in line for basic services for hours.

What happened: I was immediately directed to a window where a branch employee printed off my car title and renewed my soon-to-be expired license within 12 minutes.

• Though branches still suggest you make an appointment, I got immediate service without one and it didn't seem like other patrons needed one either.
• I then used the self-service station to print off my new tab, which took roughly three minutes.

The intrigue: Self-service stations, which can print tabs, registrations, temporary licenses and IDs, can also be found at most Meijer and Kroger stores.

Context: Republican lawmakers and candidates criticized Secretary Jocelyn Benson last year after backlogs for the required appointment system led many to drive without license plates.

• High demand for SOS services even resulted in the sale of appointment slots last year amid a pandemic-induced scheduling backlog.

If you go: The new branch at ​​580 East Warren Avenue is open 9am to 5pm on weekdays. Wednesday hours are 11am to 7 pm. The self-service station is open 24/7.