Chicagoist: CTA Passes Lower Fare Hike

Sears Tower

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:28:17 -0600

It was all of 9.5 months ago your elected officials told you the 0.25% sales tax increase would be all they needed for effective transit, which passed so easily Stroger added another 1% for no reason at all. Now the largest fare hike since the 1980's before the year is out? No city can nickel and dime your money away better than Chicago. And now you will have a Chicago Democrat at the helm of all four levels of government! Can we take all your money? YES, WE CAN!

sherlaura

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:24:23 -0600

Any word on what will happen with my beloved U-Pass? I'm assuming the cost will go up as well.

smussy

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:22:09 -0600

i love my monthly pass. do i want to take a bus two blocks when i'm carrying a ton of stuff? okay. do i want to ride the train three times in 4 hours? okay. i use it with impunity.

jmagic

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:01:03 -0600

i still think i'm getting screwed here ... but maybe that's because i think the CTA heads are as dumb as advertised. it just seems that no matter how much money these guys have they always need more and we always end up paying more or are threatened with service cuts. and i agree that it's greener than multiple fare cards, but if it's taking more green out of my wallet, i'll gladly save the fare cards and construct a hat out of them.

Mary_Sunshine

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:52:51 -0600

As far as the Chicago Card goes, I'd use it just for the replacement factor. I lost mine last winter and someone else started using it before I could pick a new one up and get it canceled. Since mine is a ChicagoPlus, the CTA woman couldn't change the date of my paycheck takeout, but she gave me a 7 day pass to make up for the fact that another person had used it for a couple days. So hoo-ray for customer service. Plus it's greener than multiple bus cards.

Chicago D

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:42:44 -0600

The other point of the ChicagoCard is that they can centralize money collection (more of it in fewer places) and they get a float on your money when you put $20 on a card but don't use $20 immediately. On balance the ChicagoCard is so much quicker and convenient that I will still use it though. The 10% influenced how much I put on the card at once, not whether I used the card.

ophmarketing

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:35:52 -0600

so what's the point of chicago card again? It makes it easier for the city to track your movements? Oh, and you can allegedly get it replaced without losing your money. Or so they claim.

three

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:31:30 -0600

so what's the point of chicago card again?

jmagic

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:30:12 -0600

Teira -- i think that's gone. at least it was when they initially reported that they would be increasing fares. i'll admit that i'm pretty dense with things ... but it almost seems that there is no advantage to having the chicago card, other than ease of use, but that easily overridden by the fact that it sometimes takes several touches to get through the turnstile.

Marcus Gilmer

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:26:52 -0600

Teira - According to the S-T, it's gone: "The 10 percent Chicago Card bonus will be gone."

Teira

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:21:56 -0600

Is the $2 for a $20 preload incentive still there on the chicago cards?

joshie

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:08:02 -0600

The $0.50 increase for Chicago Card train riders is pretty steep. Glad I get the monthly pass with pre-tax money through work.

lundah

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:56:43 -0600

Looks like the "doomsday" rates we almost had earlier this year. So, it's the same fare increases we all were prepared for, without the service cuts.

three

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:39:42 -0600

maybe they're getting rid of free transfers?

Chicago D

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:34:40 -0600

Depending on how they implement the hike, $0.25 increments are probably the most convenient way for people. I mean, a fare of $1.98 would be a pain in the . . . tuckas.