Conductors were giving a pass to elderly riders who didn’t have their new reduced-fare permits as they boarded buses and trains.
That’s despite months of announcements from the Regional Transportation Authority, the CTA, Metra and Pace about today being the end of the free rides for senior citizens.
The CTA said today that no one will be denied access to bus and rail services during a brief transition period – estimated to go through sometime next week. No exact date was specified yet.
If seniors do not have their new farecards, CTA customer assistants and operators are prepared to help them by providing the information they need to secure their new transit cards, the CTA said.
But the agency is still asking all seniors who have their new farecards to begin using them.
“We will continue to have information specialists out on the street today, tomorrow and next week to make sure senior riders are familiar with the new procedure and to provide them with appropriate information and assistance when needed,” CTA spokeswoman Catherine Hosinski said.
Metra conductors have been asked to use their discretion in allowing seniors without the new farecards to ride for free, spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet said.
The RTA, which administers the program, had planned to stick to the deadline for using the new cards, but acknowledged today that the transit agencies were cutting some slack.
“If the service boards are offering grace periods to seniors, that’s great and at their discretion,” the RTA said
# Source : Chicago Tribune By Richard Wronski September 1, 2011
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Note: We would like to acknowledge and thank CTA, PACE and METRA for having the common sense to work with Seniors on the transition; Its a shame though that RTA was going to stick to the deadline of Sept 1, after sending out the cards with no instructions on how to put money on the cards and the MAIN RTA outreach was thru YouTube Video for our seniors (an outside contractor won the bid for this, at tax payers expense) because all seniors have a computer....
As the Chicago Tribunes Richard Wronski and Erin Meyer
reported Sept 1 2011:
"On the day that free transit rides ended for most seniors, there was confusion, miscommunication and lack of information about the new reduced fare permit program.
Some riders said they were unaware the free rides were ending, although transit officials had publicized the date for months.
Some 336,000 senior citizens today had to start using new reduced-fare permits on the CTA, Metra and Pace"
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