A public hearing will be held Monday night about an upcoming fare-payment system that offers new options for CTA and Pace customers, but also contains costly penalties — most notably a $3 cash CTA rail fare — that transit riders can avoid, with a little effort.
Not all of the charges were disclosed when the CTA announced Ventra last September. Despite the lack of initial transparency, transit riders can dodge the new fees. Today's Getting Around column will explain how.
The advice will be particularly important to low-income individuals, many of whom often pay fares using cash and would be among the hardest hit by a $3 rail fare. CTA customers can obtain a Ventra card on a no-cost basis and, if desired, maintain a small balance to avoid paying the $3 rail fare.
About 6 percent of CTA fares are paid with cash, according to the transit agency.
Critics say the new costs will be painful for both low-income and infrequent riders, and some question the decision to turn over fare-collection responsibilities to third parties under the 12-year contract between the CTA and Cubic.
"It is very dangerous to allow a private company to have access to the fare box on each bus and at each 'L' station, which is what CTA is doing,'' said Charles Paidock, secretary of Citizens Taking Action, a group representing transit-dependent individuals. "It doesn't put one bus on the street or a train on the track.''
Under the new system, riders who do not use Ventra cards will be able to pay fares with credit or debit cards, CTA passes or the single-ride tickets. Paying fares using cellphones will be introduced at a later date, officials said.
Buses will continue to accept cash fares, but using cash to purchase a single-ride ticket on trains will become more expensive. Currently, people who pay bus fares using cash already forfeit the opportunity to buy a 25-cent transfer, which is valid for two rides, so these cash-payers must pony up the full fare for each boarding.
Starting this summer when Ventra is launched, CTA rail customers paying with cash will be charged $3 to purchase a single-ride paper ticket at train stations, instead of paying the $2.25 base fare that will remain in effect for all other fare-collection methods. The cash fare on buses will stay at $2.25, officials said.
The $3 charge includes a 50-cent fee to cover the cost of producing the disposable paper ticket containing a computerized chip, and 25 cents for a transfer, regardless of whether the rider uses the transfer.
Cash-payers can avoid the $3 rail fare by obtaining a Ventra card. The card costs $5 initially, but a $5 credit will be applied toward fares if the card is registered within 90 days, officials said.
Reloading the Ventra cards with money will be convenient, officials said, because by late this year or early in 2014 about 2,000 retail locations in the CTA service area will be outfitted for Ventra customers to add value to their cards. Most of the 2,000 locations are within one-third mile of a CTA bus stop. Currently, there are 600 locations, mostly at CTA rail stations, to reload the CTA's Chicago Cards, officials said.
The availability of many locations to add value to the cards across the CTA service area in Chicago and almost 40 suburbs, and about 500 additional locations in Pace's service area, should help transit riders who prefer or need to maintain small card balances and reload the cards often to pay bus and train fares and avoid the new $3 CTA rail cash fare, officials said.
President Obama’s so-called GOP “charm offensive” has received mostly rave reviews as it enters a second week. Now, the question is whether the political thaw will last. Several leading Republicans said Sunday they believe Obama’s overtures are sincere, but that the true test of a relationship reset will be seen in his actions, not his words. Translated: they want clear concessions from Obama in future deficit reduction talks, and curbed anti-GOP rhetoric in stump speeches on the road. The president will make his case this week before the full Republican and Democratic conferences in the House and Senate in separate, private meetings at the Capitol. Then he’s back on the road Friday to talk about energy policy in Argonne, Illinois. Will we see an Obama speech with a different political tone?
Let’s read the tea leaves this morning, shall we? “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” ―Rabindranath Tagore. Just a positive quote to start the week? No. It’s a tweet @AshleyJudd sent out last night. Does it mean she’s in? Well maybe not, but those who want to see her get into the race to unseat Mitch McConnell believe she will do it and it’s just a matter of time until she makes it official. Her biggest current obstacle is her living situation. She currently lives in Tennessee and famously said earlier this month that she “winters in Scotland.” Before she gets in the race she needs to establish residency in her home state of Kentucky. That has to be her first move before anything official whether it’s an exploratory committee or something more. Is she house shopping in Kentucky? Then we will know this is real.
No comments:
Post a Comment