Above Photo: The CTA Employee John Koldan helps a hard working taxpaying senior commuter purchase a transit card at the Jefferson Park station on the first day that most white seniors don't get free rides on Metra, Pace or the CTA. The free ride is over for older whitie area transit riders.
Today, some 336,000 senior citizens who will start using new reduced-fare permits on the CTA, Metra and Pace.
The new photo IDs replace cards that seniors have used for free rides on buses and trains since March 2008.
The Regional Transportation Authority also mailed more than 80,000 Circuit Ride Free cards to low-income seniors in the inner city Chicago area (Code for BLACK). The cards will enable seniors eligible under the state's Circuit Breaker program to continue riding public transit without paying fares.
Annual incomes to qualify for the card range from $27,610 to $45,657, depending on household size.
Retiree Tom Scarlett and his wife say taking the bus or subway won't be a hardship, even though their free ride is over.
"I don't object to paying (for) a ride," said Scarlett, 67, of Chicago's North Side. "I'm not exactly sure why (seniors) feel entitled to everything. … Maybe people who can afford to pay a bit more ought to pay a little more."
The free rides for seniors program was the brainchild of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who attached the program to a measure increasing the mass transit sales tax.
Legislation passed by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Pat Quinn in February ended the free rides except for low-income seniors.
RTA spokeswoman Diane Palmer said Wednesday that the agency has been swamped with requests for assistance with the new cards. It has had to triple the number of its customer service representatives, she said.
The agency has been averaging 2,000 calls a day for the past several weeks, Palmer said.
The RTA also extended its hours until 6 p.m. daily at the Chicago customer service center at 165 N. Jefferson St.
One problem for many seniors has been a lack of clear information on how to load value on the new permits.
Fare value can be added at CTA vending machines or any one of several grocery stores or currency exchanges, the RTA said.
The CTA and RTA will have personnel at selected stations Thursday and on following days to assist seniors with the new permits.
The RTA is asking seniors in the free ride program who haven't received a Circuit Ride Free or a reduced-fare permit to call the customer service center at 312-913-3110. Other information is available at http://www.rtachicago.com.
