In Search of the Ever Elusive Chicago Card?

By Rachelle Bowden in News on Jan 9, 2006 9:51PM

Remember in the beginning of the year when the CTA raised rates for those who paid with cash, but not for those who use the Chicago Card? It looks like everyone rushed out and bought Chicago Cards. No one wants to pay more when they don't have to, right? Well, now a bunch of grocery stores and currency exchanges are out of the cards, and the CTA is getting sued for not making the cards more available.

Tiffany Chancellor, who lives in the South Shore area and commutes downtown, says she has tried unsuccessfully to purchase a Chicago card at her local grocery stores and currency exchanges, as well as various locations downtown. As a result of her failure to get a card she has been paying $12/day to commute instead of the $4 she'd spend if she could purchase the card.

On Friday Chancellor filed a class action lawsuit and that's not all: the lawsuit may be amended to a racial discrimination complaint today.

Chicagoist knows that not everyone is as technically inclined as us, but "hi, have you met our friend, The Internet?" We haven't heard anyone complain that the CTA has run out of Chicago Cards when you order them directly, online. And if you don't have a computer, you could go to the library. Also, there's no shortage if you go right to the CTA main office at 567 W. Lake. It might be out of the way, but it's a heck of a lot easier to go there than to file a lawsuit, we think. The office is just west of The Loop, so it's not far north, not far south, equally out of the way for all of us. If Chancellor is already downtown for work, why wouldn't she just go over to the CTA office and get a card?