Free rides for suburban seniors end on mass transit
The free ride is over for most of the state's senior citizens who utilize mass transit in the Chicago area.
Starting today, only low-income seniors will have free access to the region's mass transit system. However, even that process has changed.
The Regional Transportation Authority has beefed up its customer service system in an effort to deal with issues that have arisen as most area seniors are switched back to a reduced-fare system. The authority is tripling its staff at the call center and extending operating hours until 6 p.m. through next week.
“We've been getting about 2,000 calls a day,” said RTA spokeswoman Diane Palmer.
About 440,000 seniors were in the free-ride program since its inception in 2009. Now, only about 80,000 are qualified, Palmer said. Another 375,000 received reduced-fare cards, which generally amounts to half off.
To qualify for the free-ride program now, seniors must be part of the Illinois Department of Aging's “Circuit Breaker” program. The program provides grants to seniors to offset costs of medications and taxes. Seniors living alone with an annual income of less than $27,000 or in a household of three or more with an annual income of less than $45,000 are eligible.
The RTA ended the free-ride program for all seniors because it could no longer afford it. The authority anticipates a boost of about $30 million annually by reinstating the reduced-fare program for most seniors.
Problems have arisen since the RTA began mailing out new fare cards to seniors in recent months. Many seniors complained that they should be eligible for free rides but weren't aware of the “Circuit Breaker” eligibility requirement. Processing applications for that program can take anywhere from three weeks to four months, officials said.
Palmer said the process has also changed for boarding. Previously, seniors only had to show cards to use mass transit. Now, they are being given cards that they have to swipe. The reduced-fare cards do not come pre-loaded with cash, so some seniors trying to use them discover that they don't work and discard them, Palmer said.
Area agencies who assist seniors are also finding themselves swamped with concerns about the change.
“The No. 1 question is whether they'll be able to ride for free,” said Georgia Gerdes, a counselor at Oak Park-based Age Options. “We've received many, many more calls, so we have many more people taking those calls to help out.”
People with questions about how the change affects them or someone they know should call the RTA customer service line at (312) 913-3110. The RTA's Customer Service Center is located at 165 N. Jefferson St. in Chicago. For more information about the program, visit rtachicago.com/fare-programs/reduced-fare-program.html.