Saddle Up, Granny!

By Kevin Robinson in News on Mar 17, 2008 5:00PM

Free rides for seniors starts today. You remember free rides for seniors, right? That was the the program that Blagojevich added to the CTA bail out. (Said Blagojevich, "it's like the little boy with a pile of horse manure, I kept digging cheerfully in that and found a pony in there -- the pony is free public transportation for all seniors in the state of Illinois.")

But hey, grandma, you can't ride free if you're not registered. Seniors that already have senior citizen fare cards, which until now have have provided discounted fares to riders 65 or older, can, as of today, be used for free rides on the CTA, Metra and Pace. Senior citizens that don't currently use the discounted fare card can apply for one, and it should start working in about three weeks. Those that have already paid for their 30-day Reduced Fare Transit Card, the mechanism that the transit authority is using to grant the free rides, are eligible for a refund. The CTA will be visiting regional senior centers this week to distribute the paperwork necessary to claim a refund.