CTA Tattler

"Name already exists"

Great story from my friend Tovi:

I was on the Red Line heading south to see the Sox beat the Indians earlier this month and was sitting behind two girls. These girls were not older than 15.

One of them was fiddling with her cell phone the whole ride. Around Addison I glanced over and noticed she was saving someone's number on her phone's memory.

I watched her input the person's name and laughed when she typed: "My baby daddy."

When she's done typing, she hit the  save button only to see a message pop up that said: "Name already  exists"!

Billing snafus led to some overcharges

The Tribune is reporting that about 400 CTA customers actually were overcharged a total of about $9,000 in the billing problems we wrote about Monday.

The CTA's customer alert only suggests that there was a delay in collecting payment from customers. It doesn't mention overcharges.

Metavante, the company that processes the payments for the CTA, says 26 customers reported being charged overdrafts by their banks. Metavante confirmed six overcharges and will cover them.

The big problem here is the sudden appearance of unexpected -- but legit -- charges for folks who may be on tight budgets. From the Tribune report:

Many more users, like Robert Harris of Calumet Park, said they were inconvenienced by the influx of charges. Harris found his bank account suddenly $200 smaller from legitimate charges Friday, he said. The charges, which he assumes have built up since he began using the machines in April, didn't cause him any overdraft fees, but they will prevent him from making his last student loan on time, Harris said.

"I have monthly bills," Harris said. "I have a student loan payment due at the end of this month. . . . I can't make that payment now."

We are mostly safe with the CTA in a catastrophic evacuation

Fear not! The CTA and other regional transit agencies have good, solid evacuation plans in the event of an emergency, according to the National Research Council's Transportation Research Board.

While its recent report was not so glowing for other cities, it gave good marks to Chicago for having an integrated communications plan with the other regional transit agencies.

The report said the CTA could evacuate 40,000 people by bus and 100,000 by train in an hour.

From the report:

In a no-notice major emergency, transit, commuter rail, and intercity passenger rail would play the following roles:

• Transport passengers away from the incident site by converting Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) trains to shuttles and redeploying buses to move passengers from assembly and transportation centers to preidentified staging areas, whose locations would depend on the location, severity, and designated perimeter of the incident. According to CTA, in excess of 100,000 people per hour could be evacuated by rail and about 40,000 people per hour by bus, exceeding the system’s rush hour capacity.

• Transport Metra (commuter rail) passengers in trains away from the incident site. Supplement CTA service, coordinating changes in schedule and routes with the City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communication, CTA, Cook County Sheriff’s Police, and other suburban law enforcement officials.

• Provide supplemental Amtrak equipment from a major downtown maintenance facility and another near Indianapolis.

The predominant disaster types noted in Chicago were flooding, severe storms, tornadoes,  and terrorism threat.

But the report still notes some evacuation obstacles for Chicago to overcome:

The City of Chicago has a high percentage of vulnerable populations. Eighteen percent of families are living below the poverty line; more than 10 percent of residents are 65 or older; 12 percent of persons over age 5 have disabilities; 34 percent of residents speak a language other than English at home—primarily Spanish; and 22,500 households have very limited English skills. In addition, the 2000 Census reported that 15 percent of occupied housing units in the UA were without access to a vehicle. Many of these groups are served by Chicago’s extensive transit system, but are likely to require special attention and assistance in an emergency evacuation.

Hat tip to Chicagoist.

Billing snafus on new Express Farecard Vending Machines

A billing glitch is causing delayed transactions to appear on rider credit and debit cards -- months after a purchase from the new Express Farecard Vending Machines.

Introduced with much fanfare in March, this billing snafu is embarrassing to the CTA, which blames Metavente, the company hired to process the transactions, for incorrectly activating about 42 fare machines. A CTA press release lists these locations of the faulty machines. From the release:

The CTA’s discovered the problem when its Finance Department noted a discrepancy with the volume of transactions and the revenue received and conducted an audit. The CTA then worked with Metavante Corporation to identify the cause of the problem and correct it.

This week Metavante began resubmitting the pending charges to banks. Customers should expect to see credit or debit charges show up on their accounts for purchases they made during the transaction period. At the CTA’s request, Metavante has agreed to reimburse debit card customers who incurred overdraft charges or fees as a result of the delayed posting. Metavante has also set up a customer service line to answer customer questions about the delayed charges. Customers may contact Metavante customer service at 866-371-2709, Monday - Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

So, be sure to contact the CTA if you suffer an overdraft because of the delayed charges.

New Diversey Brown Line station opens Aug. 4; weekend work roundup

The new, handicapped-accessible entrance to the Diversey station on the Brown Line will open on Aug. 4. Stations features include:

• New elevators

• Bright lighting

• Refurbished canopies and new benches

• New signage including Braille signs

• Bike racks

Fullerton, Diversey station work this weekend. Southbound Brown and Red Line trains will operate on the northbound Red Line track. Northbound Brown and Red Line trains will operate on the northbound Brown Line track. Southbound Brown Line trains will not stop at Diversey. To access Diversey, exit trains at Fullerton and board a northbound Brown Line train.

Red Line over the top on Sunday. Service on the Red Line between Fullerton and Cermak-Chinatown will be rerouted in both directions  onto the elevated tracks from 3 a.m. Sunday, July 27 until 3 a.m. Monday, July 28. Trains will run normally on Saturday for Venetian Night.

Mutterings of a drunken Cubs fan

With the Cubs back this weekend for the first time since the All Star break, I thought this was an opportune time to mention my last run-in a few weeks with a drunken Cubs fan on the Red Line. These are quotes from her. Yes, her.

"Win or lose we still booze."

"We're drunk. Maybe I shouldn't drive."

"Don't pass out. Wake up! If anyone should pass out it should be me. I'm the girl."

Then she laughingly attempts to walk a straight line in the middle of the train car.

Finally, she questions passengers on their baseball allegiances. A Sox fan got in the last word when she was dissing the White Sox: "There's no room for that kind of talk until the Cubs win a World Series."

CTA finishes O'Hare-Rosement Blue Line work early

The CTA has finished slow zone work on the Blue Line between O'Hare and Rosemont four days early.

"With the completion of this work, we now have reduced the number of slow zones on the CTA system to just over 11 percent, down from a high of 22.5 percent last Fall,” said CTA President Ron Huberman. “Our efforts to eliminate slow zones continue to speed rail service for customers and improve commute times. Speeds in this area now can resume up to 55 miles per hour rather than the 15 miles per hour in place prior to this work.”

I do have to give the CTA lots of credit for finishing most work earlier than planned. The CTA noted that slow zone work between Jefferson Park and Addison will begin in August.

Leaving a sticky note for Karen

Overheard on the train near Belmont: Guy studying a Microsoft "Desktop Support Certification" textbook says into his cell phone:

"I wonder if you could leave a note for Karen? A sticky note on the server that says: 'Do not touch.' "

More thoughts on what to do when faced with a CTA perv

Amy over a Chicagoist recently had her own encounter with a CTA pervert, and she partially credits CTA Tattler and you readers for help in dealing with the situation:

I can - with certainty - say that I was only able to recognize and handle this situation because of your habit of previously and openly addressing the topic on your blog.  You, and your commenters, made me aware that women have experienced crap like this before, on a semi-frequent basis, and also that many women (or other riders) do not end up confronting or stopping this behavior from continuing.

She gives these tips in her post at Chicagoist:

• Direct confrontation is usually the most effective response. Demand that the behavior stop, or loudly announce what is happening.
• If you are able, take a picture of the offender with a cell phone or camera, or ask another passenger to take a picture.
• In a situation where you feel threatened or unsafe, exit the train, and alert the operator or customer assistant.
• Report information or pictures to the Chicago Police, or by calling 311. Tips for giving a physical description: include height, weight, sex, age, race, or distinguishing marks and
  clothing. Alert the CTA as well, giving additional information like the train car or bus route number, time of day, and where the offender boarded and exited.

Read here and here some recent Tattler posts about further thoughts on CTA perverts.

Meetings set this week on selection of artwork for Belmont, Fullerton stations

For the last few years, the CTA has included public artwork as part of any station renovation -- with input from the community.

This week, there will be public meetings on artwork at both Belmont and Fullerton stations. The Belmont meeting starts at 6 pm today (Monday, July 21) at Ann Sather Restaurant, 909 W. Belmont St. The Fullerton meeting is at 6 pm Thursday, July 24, in the first floor of the DePaul University Music School Recital Hall, 604 W. Belden.

Grab your opportunity to have a say in the art you may be looking at for years to come.

(Thanks for the news tip to David Dalka of Chicago.)