CTA Tattler

Again, a little more communication, please, on route changes

I went to the White Sox game Sunday. (Please, no comments from fans of the Central Division champion Cubs. I wasn't born in Chicago, but I'm a baseball fan and go to games at both parks.)

As a regular rider and well-informed customer, I've seen fliers and signs noting that because of slow-zone work on the Red Line, trains were running "over the top" on the elevated tracks from Fullerton to Cermak.

But some of the more casual weekend riders and occasional Sox fans heading to the park didn't know that on the train car I was riding to the U.S. Cellular. And the motorman didn't tell them. So naturally those riders were confused.

By the time we hit the Loop, those folks were gazing at maps and wandering around the car wondering why we were not in the tunnel and whether we were still a Red Line train.

And the motorman was no help.

So I had to explain things to those riders.

Hey CTA, there's a lot more subway tunnel work coming up on the Red Line. Can you please remind your motormen to make detailed announcement about that -- just like the guy on the ride home from the ball park? Thank you.

Passback headaches on Chicago Card Plus

Yesterday I wrote about the CTA's continuing problems with the Chicago Card.

But there's more. A few people have written to me about problems with their 30-day pass Chicago Card Plus suddenly converting to pay-per-use without knowing why. And it happened to me too, but I know why. Well, I know why but it contradicts CTA policy.

I took my in-laws to a Cubs game last month and used my 30-day pass Chicago Card Plus to pay for their rides as well. I was told because I did that, my card converted to a pay-per-use card. Huh? The CTA's Web site says this:

"If using a 30-Day Pass, up to seven customers can board the same bus route or pass through the same rail station turnstile using one card within up to an 18-minute period. The first customer's fare is recorded as an unlimited ride using a 30-Day Pass. Each passback ride will be considered Pay-Per-Use. The appropriate fare (full fare or transfer) is recorded to the card owner's account and charged to their credit card. The charge will include all passback charges, plus $10, which will be immediately available for future fare payment. The additional $10 is charged to ensure that you are able to continue using the passback feature if you choose."

That paragraph mentions nothing about the card converting to pay-per-use. So which is it, CTA?

For me, I had to go online and switch my card back to 30-day pass, and the CTA still has $9 of mine from my credit card. And they will probably have it for a long time because my employer automatically deducts the $75 per month for my 30-day pass.

Actually, I'm OK with the CTA having the money. The Web page clearly says they will do it and they did. What I'm not OK with is the CTA converting me to pay-per-use and making me change back to the 30-day pass. Especially when the Web page says nothing about that.

Hey Ron, please fix that, OK? Thank you.

Chicago Card woes compounded

The CTA's Chicago Card and Chicago Card Plus have been in the news a lot these days, and most of it not good news for the CTA.

First, the CTA has been offering the stored-fare-value smart card for free since Sept. 1. That's a good thing, to save $5, but demand has outstripped supply and I've seen signs at grocery stores that the cards were not available.

Then the CTA announced that the first Chicago Cards issued four years ago, and that it was up to the owner of the card to determine if hers was expiring.

To do that, the CTA urged users to go to its Web site, enter the serial number, and order a card online, by phone or in person.

However, many Web site users found the CTA's server was down, and were greeted by a smiling young lass announcing that the page was a placeholder for Network Resources, the domain seller. At least a dozen Tattler readers wrote me about that, wondering if the CTA had failed to renew the domain name.

Yes, the CTA had renewed the domain name, but they were afflicted b server outages, as some companies sometimes are. Just at the wrong time.

Finally, the CTA realized maybe they should make it easier for their long-time Chicago Card users to get new cards, so Tuesday they announced they automatically mail new cards to those who had registered them.

From the news release: “Because of the concerns expressed by customers we have taken immediate action to change the process so registered card users who have used the card within 12 months will automatically receive a new card,” said CTA President Ron Huberman. “Chicago Cards make it faster and more convenient to ride CTA – the same ease of use should be part of the process to replace expiring cards and I appreciate receiving comments from customers, it allows us to improve the process to meet their needs.”

More tomorrow on this.

Seat giveaway fails

Try as he might, he couldn't give away his seat on a crowded Red Line train.

Passengers were standing by the time the delayed train rolled into Bryn Mawr. The guy was sitting in the facing seats by the door.

"Do you wanna sit down?" He whined in a loud, tinny voice. "Who wants to sit here?" He implored to anyone listening. And that was the whole train car. Heads were turning and necks craning to catch a glimpse of this strange fellow. Nobody wanted to deal with his largese.

Finally, at Belmont, a woman boarded and he jumps, screaming, "Here! Sit here!" Startled, she said "OK," and sat. He explained to her, "I'm getting off at Fullerton." And continued to explain the rest of his commute, which included a Fullerton bus.

Updates: Transit funding; more deep-cleaning details

The Sun-Times reported Sunday that Senate Majority Leader Emil Jones is open to putting a sales tax hike to vote to provide sustained funding for the CTA and other transit agencies.

We already know that the House is unlikely to support the Senate-passed capital bill centered around new and expanded casinos. So it's good to know there's still a decent chance to get the sales-tax increase passed when the Legislature meets next week.

More details on deep-cleanings of trains, buses. The Sun-Times on Monday followed-up on the CTA Tattler scoop about how the CTA is using new cleaning methods on both the floors and fabric seat covers.

From the Sun-Times: "A train could go as long as nine months before it had a detailed clean," Ron Huberman said. "We had a lot of employees picking garbage off of platforms and we didn't have enough employees doing general cleans." Now, the goal is to deep clean vehicles every two to three weeks. To do that, the CTA has shifted 50 people on the rail side from cleaning platforms to scrubbing trains. A similar reorganization will be done for buses, Huberman said.

Here's another example of Huberman shifting resources to improve the quality of life for CTA riders -- as he did in fixing the slow zones.

Heinous, vulgar comments. I rarely delete or edit comments. I admit, things got a little dicey in comments here this summer when people really got their dander up because the CTA was following through on the threat to cut service and raise fares without more funding.

So I wanted to tell you why I deleted a comment last night. Maybe some of you actually saw it, because I left it up for awhile. It was a comment on a post about Best Cellers. The commenter used noun "M-F*ers" in the first sentence. He described a "FAT F*ING white trash trailer park f*ing looking like B**CH of about thirty-five just gabbing away" very loudly on her cell phone on a bus. She gave her own cell phone number out loud on the bus, and the commenter wrote it down, and then called her surreptitiously and berated her for talking so loudly and inanely.

Now, I've written many times here about loud and obnoxious cell phone users. And I actually am in favor of letting people know that they are loud and obnoxious, but I think that should be done politely. And I don't really want to see all that hate and those vulgarities on my blog. OK?   

Pac-Man-like graphics pop up on CTA emergency signs

Here's good one from my friend Eric:

"The CTA "In Case of Emergency" MacPaint-like graphics have always seemed a bit too large or busy to take in easily at a glance.  Maybe like some others, I tend to tune them out. 

So coming home last week, it took me awhile before clueing in to the guerrilla pop art going on here:

Pretty well done!

I'm especially fond of the Pac Man chase:

Not long after Eric sent me the above cell phone photos by email, Mike sent me this missive:

"Today on the train somebody wanted to take a picture of the cartoonish emergency exit instructions. There are four pictures, but someone has cleverly (in the same style as the originals ) replaced three of the pictures.

"One picture shows the train flooded with water, the other (2nd from top) shows the figure crawling on the floor and one figure emerging from the box next to the door and the lower picture shows a giant hand shaking the train as it approaches the platform. This was done on one car only, however, cleverly done."

OK, you bad bad train defacers out there. Let's fess up and tell me what you're up to. Got a Flickr site with more photos?

If you're interested in a reminder of what the emergency graphics really look like click on the continuation.

Yep, the seats are getting a deep-cleaning too

After my post yesterday about the new CTA cleaning process that yields gleaming train floors, some folks also asked about the nifty clean train seats.

It turns out that those too are getting a deep-clean method from the "Gregomatic."  The process involves soaping and scrubbing seats by hand with this special machine to rinse and suction out the dirt.

BTW: My CTA source said CTA President Ron Huberman wanted y'all to know about the seat cleanings too after reading my blog yesterday. Thanks for letting us know, Ron.

Tell us your secrets, ye 9.800 old Chicago Card holders. Really, how did you do it? How did you manage not to deactivate or otherwise damage your original Chicago Card after four years? Did you keep it in some hermetically sealed plastic, away from every other credit or smart card you ever owned? We who have paid the $5 replacement fee at least three times in those four years want to know your secrets. Well, at least your replacement card is free.

Slow zone weekend work on Blue and Red Lines. Lots of work on both lines this week -- too much to summarize here. Instead, go here to get the scoop.

Gleaming Red Line trains result from new CTA cleaning methods

A couple of weeks ago, I was leaving for work at about 6:15 am instead of 7:15. That was when I first noticed a sparkling clean Red Line train car. In fact, much like Deepkid, I thought the floors were wet:

But no! It turns out the floors really were super clean.

So I asked the CTA about whether it had changed its cleaning methods. Here's how a spokeswoman replied:

"Starting last month, CTA began testing new cleaning techniques for both buses and rail cars.

"Each rail car floor is stripped (gum and other residue scraped from floor and crevices), then cleaned with a general detergent and then sealed with a product that restores the color and shine to the floor, repels future stains and makes it easier to clean in the future.

"We started with the Red Line and when it is complete, will move on to other lines.

"In addition to the floor sealing project, CTA has expanded the deep cleaning project for rail cars -- cleaning the windows, chrome, doors, floors and all other surfaces.

"We're glad you've noticed!"

And we're glad you're doing it!

Now, please take me up on my suggestion that the CTA should more prominently post signs about CTA rules, such as "No Eating or Drinking" on trains and buses. Otherwise, it's more likely you'll just have sunflower seeds trashing an otherwise gleaming floor:

Senate passes casino-based capital bill to fund transit; House unlikely to support it

The Illinois Senate late Tuesday passed a comprehensive capital spending bill -- including cash for the CTA, Pace and Metra -- funded by the construction of three new casinos, including a land-based casino in Chicago.

At CTA Tattler deadline, details were scarce. Check the news feed in the center column to the right for more info. But it's pretty clear House Majority Leader Mike Madigan won't want to play nice-nice with Gov. Blagojevich and Senate Leader Emil Jones on this.

Daley: Don't blame poor Kruesi! "If he heard about it, he would have answered it." That's Mayor Daley covering former CTA President Frank Kruesi's behind on the dangers of the CTA"s rail system, as outlined by the NTSB after the Blue Line derailment in July 2006.

And for me, it also clearly illustrates the difference between the management styles of Ron Huberman and Frank Kruesi: Huberman daily holds his top managers accountable for safety, cleanliness, and being on time, among other things. Huberman doesn't wait for managers to tell him about problems; he actively prods them to meet safety goals. Nuff said.

The rush to raise state sales tax. The Illinois House on Sept. 4 failed to get a veto-proof majority for its plan to fund rapid transit with a quarter-of-one-percent sales tax increase in the six-county area around Chicago. Now the Cook County Board is considering raising the tax to 11% -- the nation's highest -- to balance its budget. Sounds like a non-starter, but it shows what happens when the Legislature can't agree on the transit funding formula -- someone else comes along and tries to raise the sales tax first.

El dressing

The young couple enters the northbound Red Line at Chicago Avenue, and take a seat hard by the exit door.

They are both in their early 20s. He sports blond dreadlocks just about down to his butt. She's wearing a silver minidress, no hose and black flats on her feet.

He whips out a pair of bright yellow tights from a Walgreen's bag and hands them to her. She opens the package, bends down and starts yanking them up her legs. By the time she gets to her lower thighs, he pulls out an old RedEye and "shields" her from the seat mates in front.

She shifts and shimmys in her seat and finally gets them over her butt and pelvis.

(The shield wasn't so effective for the observer across the aisle.)

Finished with that act of pseudo-exhibitionism, she hands him her black flats from the floor, and he hands her platform shoes with cork soles and bright striped straps. A good match.

She puts them on, rearranges her minidress, and then they are good to go for a night out.

And I was thinking, I'll bet they get off at Lawrence. And I was right. Hope they had fun at the Aragon.