Real ID = Real Problems
It is a chilly April day in Chicago and I am on a train making my third attempt to obtain the new compliant Illinois driver’s license. I received a pre-COVID mail notification about the change and used that as the basis for my decision to visit the first location: 69 W. Washington. The gentleman said all facilities in the city are closed and residents have to travel to the suburbs due to COVID. I stand for a moment virtually scratching my head and thinking to myself: Are the suburbs immune to COVID? Other functions continue to operate at this location? I recognize removing functions allows for social distances, yet could they have at least maintained one city location for city dwellers? Who decided to inconvenience such a large segment of the city’s population?
He instructs me to scan the QR code at the front desk for a list of sites that can accommodate my request. A site with an address less than two blocks away is listed ,(17 N State), so I head there. When I explain to the guard my needs she says that this location does not perform this service. Though she does not work for DMV she noted that numerous people come in with the same request.
She hands me a paper with a list sites. The paper contains the location that I am standing in at that exact moment. It mirrors the list the QR code provided at the previous location and the one on the Illinois DMV’s website when searching for Real ID facilities. I asked if she contacted the person who provided the letter or if I can get their information to inform them of the error. The shake of her head confirms what I already suspected.
With determination to obtain my improved ID I hop on the Blue Line for a 45-minute trip to the Chicago North Location on Elston. After the 12 minute walk from the train stop I arrived to see a long line dotting the sidewalk. I asked the people in front of me if this is the line for the ‘Real ID’. They all shake their head yes’ in unison. Trying to remain positive I avoid the chatter of complaints with my neighbors. A worker walks the line to communicate the site closes at 2pm which means everyone in line will not be able to receive service. Since it is 1pm I decide to try my luck and wait in the cold drizzle. Buses and cars flow by with stares of disbelief and pity.
Eventually the hour winds down and we are told they are not accepting more customers and our options are to come back another day or travel to another facility that closes at 5pm. Since I do not own a car and imagined all the people from this location would scramble to the next, I decided to cut my losses and head home on the train. Most people dispersed and that is when I noticed some had come equipped with lawn chairs or stools. Though they came prepared for the long wait, they left disappointed with the rest of us.
For as long as I have had my driver’s license the DMV has lived up to their caricature portrayed in movies and TV as being the posterchild of bad customer service. My finger is not pointing at the people who work in the facilities because after living in several states I recognize the issues are more systemic.
Did officials recognize the inherent bias in their decision to close all locations in the city? Image some of the people in line took off work, arranged child care, or paid more in transportation costs only to be turned away after waiting hours. During COVID the government has found a way for citizens to make appointments online for vaccinations. Why can’t the same be done for the Real ID? The main goal of the Real ID is to enhance security, yet how can this inspire trust when the organization managing the process is antiquated and inefficient.
After a week my agitation has dissipated so I try my luck at another facility. Like before I spend a pre-COVID amount of time on my appearance since this ID should last for the next four years. I call before heading out to confirm they are open and offer Real IDs. No answer so I walked out into the DMW abyss.
I arrived at the Chicago Diversey Express location and once again greeted by a long line that spans a large portion of the shopping complex. The line moves quicker than the one before, yet my heart dropped when a firetruck arrived to attend to a gentleman inside the facility. As this emergency unfolded I made it inside only to be told they do not administer Real IDs. The man stated that if they did the line would have been much longer.
My driver’s license was expired so I decided to precede, even though Illinois has implemented an extension on renewals. I figured I could use my passport in lieu of the Real ID or come back at a later date to receive an ID upgrade for an additional $5. The woman I befriended while waiting in line chose the same option. When we were in line to pay she said the worker mentioned she could have done it online because eye exams are waived. The same could have been true for me yet this was never communicated.
Government services provide the worse customer service because they have a captive clientele. Any other company or service provider would have gone out of business if they had the same subpar processes and standards. The amount of resources and paradigm shift required for an overhaul would be enormous, yet I believe the long-term efficiency gains would outweigh the costs. It is long overdue for government services to set the benchmark for quality customer service.
Since I am a glutton for punishment I head to the Post Office. I will save that story for another day.
