In searching for reasons why the CTA is seeing so many seniors take advantage of the free-ride program -- President Ron Huberman can look to his own father.Of course that isn't helping the big picture of the budget shortfall CTA is facing...
Before the senior free ride program started on March 17, Huberman's father used to pay full fare, rather than go through the trouble of signing up for a reduced-fare program for seniors that would have meant paying about a $1 a ride.
But once rides went from "reduced" to free, Huberman's father decided to get his senior CTA pass.
Huberman said the CTA has also heard "many anecdotes" from other seniors who said they never bothered going down to the Regional Transportation Authority office to sign up for the reduced-fare program, but did decide to sign up for the free rides.
"We believe that's a huge chunk of the new riders," Huberman told the Sun-Times editorial board last week.
That means the CTA is not only losing money from seniors who used to pay reduced fare, but from seniors who used to pay full fare.
The CTA figures, conservatively, that it will lose $35.8 million next year from providing free rides to seniors, the military, and the low-income disabled. Low-income disabled people who are on the state's circuit-breaker program can receive free rides on CTA, Metra and Pace starting Friday.The Governor who tacked free rides for seniors onto a transit bailout bill that passed the state house back in January insisted that the CTA could afford these free rides if they managed their budget better.
The CTA blames higher energy costs, higher maintenance costs, low tax revenues and the need to give free rides in proposing fare hikes for 2009.
Under the proposal, which still needs CTA board approval, CTA fares would go up by 25 to 50 cents on the L and buses. Passes also will go up, with the 30-day pass increasing to $90 from $75.
Let's also reiterate that as mentioned in this article you can go to a public hearing at CTA Headquares on Oct 29th at 6PM.
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