As I sat crammed on the hard-as-a-board seat on a ChicagoDASH bus, I was struck again by the pitfalls of having governmental agencies try to do something in which they have no knowledge or expertise in and in the process of "helping" us, they end up spending countless amounts of our money to provide a inferior service.
What's happened in the case of the ChicagoDASH is that to compensate for their lack of knowledge on how to run a bus service, the Valparaiso decision-makers guessed at what the users of the service (i.e. the customers) wanted. As a result, we've ended up with buses that are universally accepted as uncomfortable, appear to be unsafe, fitted with seats unsuitable for long rides, yet are equipped with TV service (with TV screens smaller than the laptop I'm typing this entry on), have special compartments for bikes (which I've a grand total of two people use), and have WiFi Internet access that can't be effectively used because of the inferior service provided (not to mention that it's impossible to use a computer on these buses because of the poor seat configuration).
So despite the best intentions of our government officials, we were destined to receive what we got with the ChicagoDASH buses once they decided to "help" us.
This blog was borne out of the frustration many riders feel over the fundamental deficiencies built into the buses bought by the City of Valparaiso and the subsequent shoulder shrug we've received when we try to discuss these issues with the City. No one should have to sit in discomfort for the long ride between Valparaiso and Chicago. Yet that's what we now have to do every day. Do City officials really care about the quality of the services they provide or is it just talk?
