Transit permits for seniors, those with disabilities drop

Good morning, Chicago.

Getting around Chicago has long been difficult for David Zoltan, but nonetheless he once would have jumped on a bus to get a bite to eat. He would take public transit to meet up with friends, and to doctors’ appointments in Streeterville.

Zoltan, 46, has spinal stenosis that causes severe back pain and one leg is amputated below the knee, and he qualified for a transit pass that allows him to ride CTA, Pace or Metra for free. But since the start of the pandemic he has rarely used it, limiting trips outside his Rogers Park apartment. When it was necessary to leave, he often turned instead to more private services like ride-share or programs that provide rides, unwilling to get back on public transit because people with disabilities remain at higher risk for COVID-19.

He didn’t renew his ride-free pass when it expired in 2022.

“Why would you renew a ride-free permit that you’re not using, especially when it’s so much trouble go to through?” he asked.

For years, eligible Chicago-area seniors and people with disabilities have been able to apply for permits to either ride transit for free or at reduced fares. But the number of free and reduced-fare transit passholders in the Chicago area dropped sharply in 2022, falling by about 23% from the prior year, according to Regional Transportation Authority data obtained by the Tribune.

Read more on this story by Sarah Freishtat.

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