RTA announces plans for changes to free senior rides
Free bus and train rides for Illinois seniors are ending later this summer for all but low-income seniors.
The Regional Transportation Authority announced Wednesday a timeline for the changes. Seniors can keep using their “Seniors Ride Free” permits through Aug. 31.
The RTA starts mailing new permits the first week of August. The new permits will go out automatically to more than 440,000 seniors who already have Seniors Ride Free permits.
Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation in February to limit the program. Only low-income residents 65 and older who are in the Department on Aging’s Circuit Breaker program will get free rides. All other seniors will ride at a reduced fare.
The RTA is planning 12 public hearings on the changes throughout its six-county region.