McHenry Township is a RTA Registration Site
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RTA Circuit Ride Free Program (which includes People With Disabilities Ride Free)
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RTA Reduced Fare Program
Senior citizens age 65 or over and persons with
disabilities who live in the RTA service region (Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties) are eligible for free
or reduced fare transit on fixed routes operated by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace.
FREE SENIOR RIDES TO END BY LABOR DAY
The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) (www.RTAchicago.com)
plans to end the Seniors Ride Free program late this summer. In
the meantime, seniors with a valid Senior Ride Free permit can
continue to ride free on CTA, Pace (route buses), and METRA.
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 RTA
Mailing New Transit Permits
to Seniors Starting August 1
The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) provided an
update on upcoming changes to the Seniors Ride Free
program. While originally scheduled to start mailing new
Circuit Ride Free and Reduced Fare permits on August 1,
the RTA will begin mailing permits next week. Seniors
may continue to use Seniors Ride Free cards through
August 31. Starting September 1, only the new
permits will be accepted on CTA, Metra and Pace buses
and trains.
The RTA is mailing 52,000 Circuit Ride Free permits and
375,000 Reduced Fare permits to seniors. The RTA worked
with the Department on Aging to determine which
low-income seniors qualified to continue riding free
based on Circuit Breaker eligibility. Seniors who have
not received their new permits by August 15 should
contact the RTA’s Customer Service Center at
312-913-3110. Seniors using Reduced Fare permits must
load value on their permits before using them. Fare
value can be added at CTA vending machines or at a
variety of grocery stores or currency exchanges.
CTA, Metra and Pace operators and conductors have been
notified and will be reminded about the program changes.
On September 1, they will be prepared for seniors that
will start using their Circuit Ride Free or Reduced Fare
permits. Also, car cards will be displayed in vehicles
about the changes and the RTA and service boards will
continue to extensively communicate about the changes. |
To continue to be eligible for the Seniors Free Ride Program,
low-income seniors must first apply directly through the
Illinois Circuit Breaker Program.
Contact the Illinois Department on Aging at 800-252-8966 or
on-line at www.cbrx.il.gov.
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Current annual income limits for Circuit Breaker are $27,610 or
less for an individual; $36,635 or less for a two-person
household; and $45,657 for a household of three or more.
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Apply
for a RTA Reduced Fare Card:
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McHenry Township
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3703 Richmond Rd.
- 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
- Monday through Friday
Applicants will need a wallet-sized color photo to include with
their application. If you do not have a photo, McHenry Township
will take a complimentary photo for Township residents.
Non-Township residents will be charged $1.00 for a photo. The
person in the photo cannot wear a hat, scarf or sunglasses.
For eligibility requirements check
the RTA website.
Replacement Cards If your card is lost or stolen, you must fill out a replacement application. The fee is $5.00 for the first replacement and $10.00 for each additional replacement. If you had the permit with the magnetic stripe, it is not necessary to submit another photograph and picture ID. If a card is more than 5 years old, the RTA no longer has your information in its computer and you will need to re-apply.
If your Reduced Fare Card has expired or is expiring soon, you need to re-apply. Simply call RTA Customer Service at 312-913-3110, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday thru Friday.
Links for transportation information in northeastern Illinois:
RTA Information
Pace Information
CTA Information
Pace Rideshare
METRA Information
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