CHICAGO: The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) riders who have the Ride Free permits with the expiration date of September 30 need to apply again to ensure there are no interruptions in their service. This applies to the qualifying persons with disabilities and they need to apply for the State of Illinois Benefit Access Program (BAP) in advance of the rapidly approaching expiration date.
In June, the RTA extended the expiration date of Ride Free permits for people with disabilities to September 30. The extension allowed more time for riders to apply for the BAP program as it could take between four and six weeks for eligibility to be approved. There will not be any more extension now, it is learnt.
Leanne Redden, Acting Executive Director of the RTA, said that the extension gave the riders the time they needed to apply through the BAP program to ensure there are no interruptions in their service. “If they have not applied yet, they should do so immediately, as time is running out .Seniors, (who have recently received a letter from RTA) are also strongly encouraged to apply,” she told this paper.
Approximately 10,500 persons with disabilities have yet to renew their permits. If a permit has recently been renewed, no additional action is required. Additionally, Senior Ride Free permits, which originally expired on September 30, now expire on November 30, a date which is also approaching.
If a Senior Ride Free permit has recently been renewed, no additional action is required. Seniors, who have recently received a letter from the RTA, are also strongly encouraged to apply with the BAP program, if they have not yet done so. The RTA is required by law to issue these permits to individuals who have been approved by the BAP program.
RTA is the only transit agency charged with regional financial oversight, funding, and transit planning for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace bus and para transit. Riders take more than two million trips each weekday on the RTA region’s transit system in six counties with 7,200 transit route miles throughout Northeastern Illinois.
Harish Rao
