PITTSBURGH — It’s been a year since Real ID cards started being issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, but airport officials are concerned by the number of people who haven’t signed up ahead of the deadline.
According to Channel 11’s news exchange partners at TribLIVE, more than 826,000 people have obtained a Real ID since March 1, 2019.
PennDOT estimated last year that 1.3 million people would get a Real ID before the Oct. 1 federal deadline, TribLIVE reported.
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Based on the current numbers, Allegheny County Airport Authority officials told TribLIVE they’re concerned not enough people are aware of the deadline.
“From our standpoint, the numbers are not keeping up with the flying passengers in Pennsylvania,” Vince Gastgeb, vice president for government and corporate affairs, told TribLIVE.
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PennDOT sees things differently.
“We’re seeing really healthy numbers in terms of Real ID issuance,” Diego Sandino, a spokesman for Driver and Vehicle Services at PennDOT, told TribLIVE. “We’re right where PennDOT projected it would be.”
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According to PennDOT, it has interacted with about 2.7 million customers in the last year, about 1.8 million of whom have chosen not to participate or use an alternative form of identification, TribLIVE reported.
Sandino told TribLIVE the goal is to get people to make a choice before the deadline. After that, people will need either a Real ID or another federally acceptable form of identification, such as a passport or a military ID, to board a plane or enter a federal building or military base.
For more information on Real ID, you can visit these resource links:
*Apply for pre-verification online
*What are the forms of acceptable identification without a Real ID?
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