The purpose of bureaucracy is to compensate for incompetence and lack of discipline. – Author James C. Collins
As is so often the post-COVID case, superlatives simply won’t work here. Though, truth be told, Metra’s painfully slow self-inflicted decline has been a staple of that agency since the day I started writing for the Tri-Cities Suns back in 2006.
It’s the kind of tragic tale where, having already descended to the kind of depths that would make Lucifer jealous, you start seriously believing they have nowhere to go but up. C’mon! Even the lowly Pistons won a game after 28 straight attempts at futility this season.
But no! Much like gravity within a black hole, there appears to be no limit to Metra’s semi-unique brand of incompetence as evidenced by the ongoing Ventra app fiasco.
For those who’ve been living under a granite slab, the app, intended to simplify the fare structure and eliminate ticket windows, has been an epic disaster since it went into “effect” on January 28. When the program isn’t crashing outright, it’s taking rider’s money without producing a ticket.
Every morning Metra makes the following declaration:
The Ventra app is not functioning as intended, and customers trying to make purchases and even possibly launching tickets may experience issues. We are working with our vendor to restore functionality. Updates will be provided.
And every evening Metra claims:
Metra’s mobile app vendor has worked diligently through the weekend to correct the issues from last week. At this point, the vendor is confident the app will perform as intended, in advance of tomorrow’s morning rush-hour.
Only to watch the app fail again the very next day.
Those fine regional transportation folks were CONVINCED the app would be restored on Monday until it crashed again. The vast irony, of course, is Ventra was supposed attract new riders, but it’s got them saying, “Fuck it! I’ll just take the car,” instead.
And that’s not good news when, as we discussed last August, even after a summer bounce in ridership, Metra’s post-COVID passenger numbers were down a whopping 55 percent. The only reason they haven’t been forced to cut service is a hefty influx of pandemic relief funds which run out at the end of the year.
There’s absolutely no excuse for this bizarre level of incompetence, either.
Before I foolishly chose journalism, I designed and wrote database systems for the likes of AT&T, Wrigley, Philips Electronics, Morton Salt, General Foods, and USG. And trust me, before any new system went live, my staff and I put the new code through the kind of rigorous testing regimen that left little room for error. When it did go up, the old and new systems ran parallel until we were convinced the shift would be seamless.
Clearly, Ventra didn’t bother with that step despite having the luxury of knowing exactly how many riders would be using the app.
Considering all those lost fares and angry customers, heads should roll, including, but not nearly limited, to Metra’s CEO, his or her upper staff, and anyone involved with this catastrophic project. Then the Ventra folks themselves should be sued, sanctioned, or both for this legendary failure.
“So, where’s the oversight?” I thought, until I remembered that Metra has a board of directors consisting of representatives from Cook and each Collar County. And those board members are paid fifteen thousand dollars a year to attend all of 12 meetings. It’s the plummest of all patronage plums. (They used to get health insurance and a pension, too, until the State made that illegal in 2013.)
And who’s Kane County’s rep? Why, none other than former state’s attorney, Joe McMahon, clearly appointed by our county board for his extensive transportation background.
That’s the same county board that tried to tab outgoing member Matt Hanson for the spot, in spite of the former chairman’s and my explicit written warning that railroad employees could not serve due to the obvious conflict of interest. The KC board only relented after Metra tore them a new one for their flagrant disregard for the rules.
It really says something when Metra claims that you’re the incompetent ones.
Though considering his current legal issues, Hanson would be the perfect spokesperson for why you should leave your car at home and take the train. But I digress.
Despite this absurd ticketing app disaster, there hasn’t been the slightest peep out of any Metra board member, particularly our very own Mr. McMahon. So, what’s it gonna take to finally rile them up? Metra disabling the gates at road level track crossings just to see what happens?
Of course, when you consider McMahon’s “public service” performance, he’s made a career out of doing nothing.
He rarely showed up when he was state’s attorney, he ignored a sexual harassment scandal in his own office to the point where he was forced him to step down, and he told Campton Hill’s trustee Tim Morgan he couldn’t serve until I proved he could.
That’s not the best track record, now is it? Now he’s extended that inaction streak to the Metra board.
And that cannot stand because Metra’s existence is far too critical to simply stand by and let them commit a slow ineptitude borne suicide. Even with ridership at post-pandemic lows, imagine what would happen if just the rail system collapsed putting three million commuters back on the street. It would mean snarled traffic, skyrocketing gas prices, and give a whole new meaning to the term “smog.”
Until McMahon and his Metra board patronage lackeys finally understand that they need to speak up and hold the individuals responsible for the Ventra debacle accountable, their next catastrophe is going to be even worse.
And if McMahon refuses to speak up, then it’s time for the Kane County board chairman Corinne Pierog, who couldn’t lead a second grade sing along, to pull up her big girl panties, man up, and appoint someone who will.
