It's official: Corporate screw-up costs me my transit pass

Readers attentive to their calendars may note that today is July 1. That means it's the first day that a July monthly pass for the Metro system would be in effect. At right, is a photo that shows what a monthly pass looks like.

I wish I had one. In fact, I ordered one several weeks ago, but thanks to two big goofs from my employer and a third-party vendor, I don't.

In the old days, it was possible to walk downstairs at the Times building and buy a monthly pass from the little store in the lobby that sells Times-related souvenirs. It was a good deal because The Times has long picked up half the cost of a monthly pass. The paper still does. As I posted last month, it's one of the 225 or so employers in L.A. County that sells monthly passes to employees.

At some recent juncture, The Times' store -- which is barely open anymore -- stopped selling the passes and outsourced that responsibility to a vendor called WageWorks. Times employees who want a transit pass have to sign up for a WageWorks account and that firm mails you the transit pass, provided that you've ordered it almost a month ahead of time.

I signed up, ordered my pass and waited. WageWorks sent me an e-mail in mid-June saying the pass would soon come in the mail in a plain brown envelope. The $31 for the pass was deducted from my most recent paycheck. The pass, quite naturally, never arrived.

I just got off the phone with WageWorks. At the one minute, 10 second juncture of the call, I even managed to get a real person on the other end of the line -- "Carl." When I asked him if transit passes often don't make it to the person who bought them on time, he replied "frequently -- it can happen" but also said the transit pass was mailed between June 15 and June 20.

He was nice enough and said he'll send a new pass and a compensation form for the transit fares I'll have to pay for in the meantime. Fair enough. Offhandedly, I asked Carl where he was. This seemed to throw him, but after some prodding he said he was in Mequon, Wis.

Me: "So my local transit agency has to send the passes to you in Wisconsin for you to mail them back to me?," I inquired.

Carl: "Can I put you on hold please?"

Two minutes passed and Carl returned to the line.

Turns out that the passes are mailed from Illinois, he said. "Where?," I asked. "Suburban Illinois," he said. "Dude, Illinois is a big place," I said, prompting him to admit that the suburb was in the Chicago area. I now know that my transit pass lurks somewhere between suburban Chicago and Pasadena, which kind of makes me feel better.

Here's what makes me feel like a grumpy bear: I happen to be of the opinion that every employer in Los Angeles County should sell transit passes to their employees -- even if they don't want to offer the employer discount. It would be a good, convenient way to possibly lure some people from their cars in a region often labeled as the traffic capital of the United States.

I also think it's worth noting that The Times recently ran a four-part series on how bad traffic is in the region. It was good. You, the reader, then may share my view that the paper should lead by example and sell transit passes directly to their employees. Just a hunch, but I bet it would work better than the current third-party system.

If you are an employer and you want to sign up for the program, please click below to the jump page for an earlier comment from David Sutton, the director of Metro's commute services. He explains the transit pass program and provides a contact number. Give him a ring and give your employees a break.

-- Steve Hymon

Photo: Metro

Unfortunately, some employers are aboard while many others are still stuck in traffic!  However, as gas prices increase so do the number of employers who enroll in our pass programs -- we are adding about 15 to 20 new employer pass accounts a month now!  In most cases, this benefit should not be "taxable income" for the employee. We also offer several programs to encourage rideshare participation, such as: Metro Rewards; a $15 gift card that can be earned annually; Metro's Vanpool program that provides up to $400 per van per month; and Metro's Guaranteed Ride Home program that provides employees with a free taxi ride home if they have to work late unexpectedly or they have to get home mid-day to take care of an emergency. If you would like your employer to get on board and offer Metro passes please call me at (213) 922-5633. We will set up a meeting with your employer to explain the benefits of offering Metro passes.

David Sutton, Director Metro Commute Services

Comments

[Nico]

I'm with Michelle. I really like the convenience of having the pass regularly come to me in the mail, and also how WageWorks automatically deals with The Times to have the cost of the pass deducted from my paycheck each month--I think it's pre-taxes too--so I don't have to buy a new one each time. This makes the whole process very easy on me, as all I have to do is once a month get my pass from my mailbox at home (though it's a white envelope, not brown..) and stick it in my wallet behind the current month's pass. Then on the 1st of the month I just discard the older pass and start using the new one.

I'm also with Michelle on being nervous about losing this privilige with the cost-cutting that's going on in the company. Getting my pass half-off (and pre-taxes) saves me a lot of money, and it is extremely convenient for me to take the subway to/from work every day. In fact, I actually enjoy my daily commute! Who knew..!

[Michelle]

Good Morning, I have been getting my Wage Works metro pass for over a year now and I am very happy with the service and even happier that with all of our cuts the Times still hasn’t cut this. You never know with open enrollment coming soon what will happen. It is very convenient to have it sent to my house without worrying about it. I don’t live far from work and paying only $31 a month to get wherever I need is a fantastic deal. Sure it takes a little longer to get to work, but it is so much better than paying for gas.

[south bay transit rider]

I have been using Wageworks to get my transit passes through work for over 6 years now and there has only been one month where I did not receive my pass. You can purchase your own pass locally and then submit the paperwork to get reimbursed. It's really very easy. Please do not publicly condemn a fantastic, convenient service based on one bad experience.

[coakl]

Wow. A clear example of why outsourcing is not always the better solution: As of a certain day, the Times tells Wageworks how many workers should get a pass. Wageworks orders x number of passes from MTA. The passes are sent from Los Angeles to Chicago. Wageworks consults their passes report and prepares the envelopes. Then they are mailed back to wherever the Times employee lives.

It's hard to believe that this crazy process is more efficient than simply selling them in the Times store.