Paratransit fees to increase

Advocates for the disabled are making a last-ditch effort to head off an increase in the fare for paratransit riders, saying it could put public transportation in Chicago beyond the reach of many disabled people. On Feb. 1, the price of a paratransit pass will increase from $75 to $150 a month. One user of the paratransit service, Marlene Lucas, says the increase will mean she would have to pay almost one-quarter of her monthly disability income of $630 to use paratransit service. Paratransit advocates meeting Thursday questioned why the cost of the monthly passes were going up while other fare increases were forestalled with the passage of transit funding by the General Assembly. Paratransit activists have filed complaints with the Illinois attorney general and the Federal Transit Administration.