RTA: New Reduced Fare Cards Have Been Sent
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Regional Transportation Authority is reminding eligible seniors if they have not received their reduced fare transit cards, they should contact the RTA's customer service center.
As WBBM Newsradio's Dave Marsett reports, the RTA began mailing the permits to seniors last month – over 420,000 of them. Seniors can continue using their current cards until the end of the month, but after that only the new cards will be accepted on CTA, Metra and Pace buses and trains.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's Dave Marsett reports
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Seniors should call the RTA Customer Service Center at (312) 913-3110 if they have not received their new Circuit Ride Free or Reduced Fare permit, or if they believe they received the wrong type of permit, the RTA said in a news release said.
The cards are not pre-paid. Recipients must add money before using them.
To assist the seniors who are transitioning to the Reduced Fare program, the RTA has created an instructional video, which can be found at www.rtachicago.com.
The RTA mailed more than 56,000 Circuit Ride Free permits and over 364,000 Reduced Fare permits to seniors during July and earlier this month. The RTA worked with the Illinois Department on Aging to determine which low-income seniors qualified to continue riding free based on Circuit Breaker program eligibility, after the state law that permitted free rides for all seniors was done away with.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
