It happens every summer. Tourists board Chicago Transit Authority (IL) buses, unsure of the fare, fumbling with cash, asking for directions — and generally slowing things down. No one wants to discourage out-of-town visitors and occasional riders from using transit; as John Hilkevitch writes in the Chicago Tribune, “The CTA’s bottom line benefits from out-of-town visitors and suburban day-trippers swelling ridership in warm weather.” But CTA is exploring ways to speed up the boarding process by accepting credit/debit cards and possibly cell phone payments. “The same card that would pay for fares to ride the CTA also could be used for everyday transactions such as shopping, and it would reduce the number of cards an individual would need to carry,” said spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney. Link to full story in the Chicago Tribune.
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