Free rides and the disabled with reduced far cards.

[ryanbytes]

Will all reduced fare cards, even those held by the disabled, work as free ride passes? As far as I know the age of the holder is not encoded on the cards. While a driver has a chance at making the disabled pay the fares they are supposed to, the L turnstyles do not. I've been trying to get an answer from the CTA and RTA since I found out that the reduced fare cards will become the senior free ride passes and I've gotten no replies.

Yes I am aware that realistically a driver will not boot a disabled person off the bus if they try to use their pass for a free ride. This rarely gets done with folks that can't pay and do a little sweet talking. I don't expect to see a guy with a prosthetic arm or wonam with a cane get left behind. Much.

For those wondering, I have an interest in this beyond simple curiosity. I am a reduced fare card holder and I am willing to pay my fare.

[ryanbytes]

I finally got an answer from the CTA. The senior passes are coded differently than the disabled passes. Now we know and knowing is half the battle. :P

[trainman8119]

Yeah I guess that Blagos big accomplishment!. His typical phoney, baloney politics, what a phoney! He is patting himself on the back for changing his tune on the very same people who voted for him. Dont get me wrong i think seniors deserve the free transportation, Im all for it. But in the manner in which Blago carries it out he is just playing his phoney, baloney politics. Thank goodness I didnt cast my vote for him!.

I will agree with you are the phoney baloney stuff, and here is why. We have been over the entire free rides for seniors stuff. But the program is somewhat flawed. There are enough loopholes in the wording of the law that lets the transit agencies not allow free rides to seniors. For example, if you live in, say, Springfield or Quincy, you would get free rides in that area, provided you register with those carriers. RTA will not "acknowledge" a senior from those areas for rides in Chicago...and I am sure vice versa. I realize the schemantics in verifying age and keeping things on the up and up, however, if you were to have a valid card from another transit agency, you should be allowed to ride. If you are a senior, you are a senior and if you create a law, make it across the board and not selective.

I am not a fan of this program. I feel since there is a money crunch all over, this type of freebie is a luxury many can't afford. This discriminates against the disabled (maybe not for long) and students, who are just as in need for something like this as the senior. Also, it comes at the expense of the loyal rider, who in Metra's case, gets nailed with a fare increase (don't buy into the capital nonsense), while the occasional rider gets a pass on the weekend (again) and seniors get freebies.

Bad bad bad.

[jajuan]

I witnessed a stiutation yesterday that made me question just how many seniors actually know how the free ride program works or realize that the program has now gone into effect yesterday. While on my way home from downtown yesterday on the 12 Roosevelt, I saw a senior get one the bus at Halsted, she started to pay her fare using her 30 day reduced pass. The driver told her that she didn't need to show the 30 day card anymore nor did she need to purchase any type of fare media any longer. All she had to do now is let the farebox read her RTA card and she was good to go. The woman actually didn't know that the free rides had begun and that by having her RTA card she was already registered to qualify for those rides. Seeing that made me wonder how many more seniors when in this woman's position of not knowing all the details. It also made me wonder why the no one at the retail location she purchased her 30 day pass was not informed enough to suggest that she purchase the reduced fare transit cards since it was getting close to the start of the free rides program, that is if it wasn't almost a month ago when she purchased her unlimited pass.