Attention CTA Riders: Come 'n' Get It!

By Shannon in News on Feb 17, 2007 4:15PM

Remember way back in January 2006 when the CTA raised their base rate from $1.75 to $2 a ride? Of course you do. Unless you're one of those people who never ride the CTA and use their car or bike to get everywhere, to which we say you're missing a vital, if dirty and malfunctioning, part of the city. Anyway. As you also might recall, there was a huge run on Chicago Cards at the eleventh hour, in order for people to avoid the extra 25¢ markup. A shortage soon occurred at stores and currency exchanges throughout Chicago. As a result, scores of people couldn't take advantage of the huge marketing ploy and ended up spending much more on their trips than was necessary.

A class action lawsuit spawned out of the whole mess. Last month, the CTA finally settled on that lawsuit so they could avoid even more fees fighting the thing, for which they deny any liability. (It only took a year? They must have Speedy Gonzales representing them or something.) The public transit agency is doling out refunds of almost $200,000 to distraught commuters who couldn't buy a card from Dec. 15, 2005, to Jan. 31, 2006. No word on whether that applies to online purchases, but we assume if you were able to get one, you're out of contention.

If you're one of those unlucky people who couldn't obtain a card during that time period, you must fill out a claim form by downloading it via PDF, calling or writing the law firm of Edelman, Combs, Lattumer & Goodwin, LLC. Deadline for claims is May 29, 2007. They will even compensate you if you've since upgraded to a Chicago Card Plus account. Hooray for jilted consumers, but how is this payout going to affect the institution's notoriously shaky bottom line?

Image courtesy of smussyolay.