Devota.Org

I am getting so much better with bureaucracy.
07/26/2007

It’s an ID issue along with a bus issue.

I leave the office on Monday evening in the rain, try to catch my bus home and the driver tells me that my Police Department ID (PD ID) will not get me on the bus for free. He is a new driver on my route and I didn’t want to argue with him. Free bus rides are part of my city compensation package, an extra little perk working for the city. It saves me about $25 per month and it is rather simple: I live close to downtown and parking is awful near my building. I don’t have the seniority for an assigned space, there is a whole parking hierarchy at the PD that I don’t quite understand.

I don’t want to argue too much with the bus driver, I explain it’s a PD ID and that means I am a City employee. He insists I have to have a City ID to ride the bus for free, the PD ID is not a City ID. OK, so I pay my $1 to ride the bus home, make a note of the bus number and call the customer service line when I get home. I ask for a clarification, I have been riding for about 3 years with the PD ID, but the representative has checked with the some other people about the ID and is told, no the rule is you must have a City ID for free rides.

I call City HR Tuesday morning trying to figure out how to get a City ID card. I explain my dilemma to the person that answered the telephone. She asked how long I have been a city employee, I tell her and ask how do I get one of those little white cards that say City of Austin? I hadn’t needed one for the last 4 years, they don’t work at the PD. She tells me who makes them and then transfers me to the liaison for the bus company. He is flabbergasted, says he will be happy to look into the matter. He tells me the City spends an awful lot of money on this contract for City employees to ride free. Last he heard, the police department wasn’t a private contractor. I laugh and agree with him.

I get to work and call the place that makes ID’s and I ask what paperwork I need to get the City ID. They fax me over the form that needs a supervisor’s signature. They explain they don’t normally make ID’s for the PD since ‘they” have their own ID cards. I tell my bus ride story and she was a bit outraged. I hand the paperwork to the Sergeant and ask him to sign off on it. He asks me why I need this: I explain I just want to get my free bus ride and these are apparently the new rules.

I ask around for a ride over to the ID location, they only make ID cards on Monday and Tuesday. I call an officer friend of mine that works for the bus company sometimes. He laughs about the whole situation. Later on he makes a call to his buddy that is a retired officer that works full time at the bus company. He double checks the rules and there is silence on the other end of the telephone. Yes, his buddy confirms, the official rules say only a City ID cards will get you on the bus not the PD ID card.

A Detective gives me a ride over to the ID location and I get in line. The ladies at the ID place had to get special permission to print a City ID for me so I can ride the bus. They don’t issue ID cards to PD employees. We have a good laugh about it, the picture is horrid but I now have a very special City ID card.

I get on the bus Tuesday night and flash my new City ID card and figure this is now a dead issue. But not yet….

I get a call late on Wednesday afternoon from the “supervisor” of the bus company customer service about the complaint I lodged with them. She is shocked that her customer service representative told me my PD ID was no good. She was going to discuss it with the customer service representative. I explain to her that the complaint was probably filed by the City on my behalf, but yes, that is what transpired. I told her that according to what I had found out, the driver and the customer service person were technically correct, I needed the City ID card to get on the bus. I told her I now have one, but suggested she call Mr. XXX at the city and discuss the problem with him since there are conflicting policies before she reprimands her employee.

I have to figure I spent about 7 man hours on this ID issue for my $1 per day ride. I guess that is just how bureaucracies work. I was proud of myself, instead of trying to fight it, I just figured out how to work the system. I now have my special City ID and my PD ID so no matter what the bus driver wants, I have the correct ID.


	back \| up \| next I am getting so much better with bureaucracy. 07/26/2007 It’s an ID issue along with a bus issue. I leave the office on Monday evening in the rain, try to catch my bus home and the driver tells me that my Police Department ID (PD ID) will not get me on the bus for free. He is a new driver on my route and I didn’t want to argue with him. Free bus rides are part of my city compensation package, an extra little perk working for the city. It saves me about $25 per month and it is rather simple: I live close to downtown and parking is awful near my building. I don’t have the seniority for an assigned space, there is a whole parking hierarchy at the PD that I don’t quite understand. I don’t want to argue too much with the bus driver, I explain it’s a PD ID and that means I am a City employee. He insists I have to have a City ID to ride the bus for free, the PD ID is not a City ID. OK, so I pay my $1 to ride the bus home, make a note of the bus number and call the customer service line when I get home. I ask for a clarification, I have been riding for about 3 years with the PD ID, but the representative has checked with the some other people about the ID and is told, no the rule is you must have a City ID for free rides. I call City HR Tuesday morning trying to figure out how to get a City ID card. I explain my dilemma to the person that answered the telephone. She asked how long I have been a city employee, I tell her and ask how do I get one of those little white cards that say City of Austin? I hadn’t needed one for the last 4 years, they don’t work at the PD. She tells me who makes them and then transfers me to the liaison for the bus company. He is flabbergasted, says he will be happy to look into the matter. He tells me the City spends an awful lot of money on this contract for City employees to ride free. Last he heard, the police department wasn’t a private contractor. I laugh and agree with him. I get to work and call the place that makes ID’s and I ask what paperwork I need to get the City ID. They fax me over the form that needs a supervisor’s signature. They explain they don’t normally make ID’s for the PD since ‘they” have their own ID cards. I tell my bus ride story and she was a bit outraged. I hand the paperwork to the Sergeant and ask him to sign off on it. He asks me why I need this: I explain I just want to get my free bus ride and these are apparently the new rules. I ask around for a ride over to the ID location, they only make ID cards on Monday and Tuesday. I call an officer friend of mine that works for the bus company sometimes. He laughs about the whole situation. Later on he makes a call to his buddy that is a retired officer that works full time at the bus company. He double checks the rules and there is silence on the other end of the telephone. Yes, his buddy confirms, the official rules say only a City ID cards will get you on the bus not the PD ID card. A Detective gives me a ride over to the ID location and I get in line. The ladies at the ID place had to get special permission to print a City ID for me so I can ride the bus. They don’t issue ID cards to PD employees. We have a good laugh about it, the picture is horrid but I now have a very special City ID card. I get on the bus Tuesday night and flash my new City ID card and figure this is now a dead issue. But not yet…. I get a call late on Wednesday afternoon from the “supervisor” of the bus company customer service about the complaint I lodged with them. She is shocked that her customer service representative told me my PD ID was no good. She was going to discuss it with the customer service representative. I explain to her that the complaint was probably filed by the City on my behalf, but yes, that is what transpired. I told her that according to what I had found out, the driver and the customer service person were technically correct, I needed the City ID card to get on the bus. I told her I now have one, but suggested she call Mr. XXX at the city and discuss the problem with him since there are conflicting policies before she reprimands her employee. I have to figure I spent about 7 man hours on this ID issue for my $1 per day ride. I guess that is just how bureaucracies work. I was proud of myself, instead of trying to fight it, I just figured out how to work the system. I now have my special City ID and my PD ID so no matter what the bus driver wants, I have the correct ID.