Information AboutChicago Card |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CHICAGO CARD | |
| chicago transit authority | |
| contactless smartcards | |
| fare collection systems | |
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The blue Chicago Card is a stored value card. Users add value to the card at CTA Vending Machines or at select retail locations, and turnstiles or fareboxes deduct value from the card. Users usually register cards with CTA and can receive a replacement in the event of theft, loss, or damage to the card. The blue-and-gold Chicago Card Plus is an account-based card. Users link the card to either a Credit Card , Debit Card , or employer-provided transit benefit program. The cards may be set up as monthly passes or on a pay-per-use basis. The account reloads from the linked source either when the monthly pass expires or when a user-defined threshold is passed as a pay-per-use card. Because of this direct link to personal accounts, Chicago Cards Plus are all registered to a user. Both cards can be obtained for $5 from CTA's headquarters and website, though this fee will be waived until May 31, 2006, to spur use. Chicago Cards can also be purchased at retail outlets throughout Chicago. HISTORY CTA's Automated Fare Collection (AFC) system was installed in 1997 by Cubic Transportation Systems , the largest provider of AFC systems in the USA. The AFC system replaced the CTA's tokens with magnetic-stripe stored-value cards printed on plastic or paper. All fare collection and payment equipment was designed to be retrofitted at a later date with smart card readers, a technology that was on the horizon. A small pilot program ("Chicago Gold") for reduced-fare disabled riders in 1999 led to a contract with Cubic to install smart card readers universally in 2000. In August 2000, a more extensive "Chicago Card" pilot program distributed stored-value smart cards to volunteer participants. The pilot program was expanded system-wide in November 2002. The Chicago Card Plus, an account-based card linked to a user's credit or debit card account, debuted in January 2004. BENEFITS Benefits of the Chicago Card and the Chicago Card Plus include the following:
DISADVANAGES
RECENT FARE CHANGES AND LAWSUIT On January 1st, 2006, the CTA eliminated cash transfers and raised the price of cash fares to $2.00 per ride. Simply put, if you pay with cash, you pay more for every ride. For someone wishing to still pay the lower fare of $1.75 on the bus and pay $0.25 for bus transfers, then a rider should purchase a transit card, a visitor pass (1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 day unlimited rides passes are available), or one of the Chicago Cards. A transit card used on the L will have $2.00 deducted from it. {Link without Title} . On Friday the 6th of January, 2006, a commuter filed a discrimination lawsuit against the CTA because she was unable to buy a Chicago Card and thus has had her daily commute costs rise from $4 to $12 as a result of the new fare policies. [http://www.chicagodefender.com/page/local.cfm?ArticleID=3549 EXTERNAL LINKS |
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