The quickest part of a trip on the Chicago Transit Authority is the three seconds or less that message codes flash on the display screens of bus fare boxes and rail station turnstiles.
Even people who graduated with honors from the Evelyn Wood speed reading course would have a tough time picking up the messages.
One senior citizen called Getting Around to say she was mildly perturbed about being labeled an invalid after she inserted her reduced-fare card into the slot of a bus fare box.
Actually, the message on the screen was invalid, meaning “not valid.” It signaled that the fare card was unreadable either because there was no more value remaining on the card, or because of a programming defect or damage to the card.
Several dozen codes are programmed into the CTA fare-collection system–some intended for passengers, others for bus drivers and other CTA personnel.
The smorgasbord of messages is a curiosity to some riders and a concern to others who think they might have been charged twice for a ride.
“Your readers might be interested [I know I am] in what the various messages mean,” commuter Jim Holland said. “A bus driver told me that one of the messages, `repeat use,’ appears when the fare box has read your card and accidentally reads it again.”
The repeat-use function notifies the bus driver that a magnetic-strip transit card, a Chicago Card or a Chicago Card Plus has been read a second time, and the function requires the driver to ask customers if they intend to pay fares for additional travelers, CTA spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney said. If a customer says yes,’ the driver must press a button on the fare box and instruct the customer to tap or insert the card against the fare-box reader to pay an additional fare. The steps are repeated for each person in the group.
“The process is in place to reduce the incidence of a customer getting charged additional fares unless intended,” Gaffney said.
Other fare-box messages:
– Passback: This is a fraud-control mechanism aimed at preventing cardholders from trying to pass transfers to people who are not part of the original trip. The message will appear if a transfer is attempted on the same route within six to 12 minutes of use.
– Hotlist: The Chicago Card or Chicago Card Plus card has been reported lost or stolen. CTA personnel are instructed to confiscate the card. “Hotlist” appears only on the bus driver’s screen. The customer sees “invalid.”
– Retouch Card: A Chicago Card or a Chicago Card Plus was not passed closely enough to the reader or was not held long enough to register.
– Non-active: The message appears when CTA turns off a Chicago Card Plus due to unresolved credit-card or debit-card issues. Customer sees only an “invalid” message. The Chicago Card Plus is an account based system linked to the customer’s credit- or debit card. On the other hand, value is added to Chicago Cards by inserting money into CTA transit card vending machines.
– T-1 or T-2: Indicates how many transfers are available if used within two hours of the first fare transaction.
– Transfer Expired: The transfer period has expired.
As transactions are completed at rail station turnstiles, some of the following messages may appear:
– Accepted $…/Need $ . . . : The cash amount deposited and the cash amount still needed for the payment of a fare.
– Enter/Transfer $0.25: The correct cash amount for a fare has been deposited, and the cash amount for a full-fare transfer is displayed.
– Farecard $—/Add value at AVM: The value remaining on a stored-value fare card is less than the required amount for a ride or transfer charge. The customer needs to add value to the card at a CTA automated transit card vending machine.
– Take fare card/Please Insert Permit: A pass for senior citizens, disabled riders or students has been accepted, and the customer is being instructed to remove the pass and insert the appropriate RTA reduced-fare permit.
– Please take ticket: The fare card has not been removed from the ticket slot after it was read. The turnstile gate will not operate until the card is removed.
– Thank you: Two words that Getting Around thinks more CTA employees should get into the habit of saying.
Drivers see red at bus stop
Borrowing an idea from Britain, where the bus lanes are painted red, the city has marked off the pavement on West Jackson Boulevard between South Wells and South LaSalle Streets.
The entire width of the bus lane has been colored red in a test to see whether it keeps other vehicles out and allows bus traffic to flow more freely, said Brian Steele, spokesman for the Chicago Department of Transportation.
The red paint also contains a friction grip material to improve traction so buses can stop and accelerate more smoothly on wet pavement.
Most bus lanes in Chicago are marked by an elongated diamond and other pavement markings.
If the red pavement on Jackson proves more effective, it could be introduced city-wide, Steele said.
Ramp madness
The exit ramp from northbound Illinois Highway 394 to the eastbound Kingery Expressway (Interstate Highway 80/94) closes Tuesday for about two months, Illinois Department of Transportation officials said. The posted detour will direct traffic to continue northbound on Illinois 394 to the westbound Bishop Ford Freeway (Interstate Highway 94). Traffic then will exit at westbound 159th Street, loop around to re-enter I-94 eastbound and follow the detour signs to the exit ramp for eastbound Kingery.
On the northbound Dan Ryan Expressway, the 51st Street entrance ramp will close permanently Wednesday. The suggested detour is the 47th Street entrance ramp. On Sept. 16, the new 47th Street exit ramp and the new Garfield Boulevard (55th Street) entrance ramp will open, IDOT officials said.
The Washington Street Bridge over the Kennedy Expressway closes for reconstruction Tuesday through the end of the year.
The center-of-expressway Washington entrance ramps to the Kennedy will close permanently at the same time, IDOT officials said.
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Contact Getting Around at jhilkevitch@tribune.com or c/o the Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611. Read recent columns at www.chicagotribune.com. Enter “Getting Around” in the search field.
