5/17/05
Customers Asked to Check Serial Number to Get Replacement Card
The Chicago Transit Authority announced that, due to a programming error by the manufacturer, Cubic Transportation Systems, 139 Chicago Cards are failing to deduct the fare from the card when used.
Introduced to customers in November 2002, there are currently 70,513 Chicago Cards in circulation. The defective cards represent only 0.2 percent of those sold.
CTA has already sent replacement Chicago Cards to 63 customers who registered their cards and have been identified as owning defective cards. These cards are scheduled to be deactivated on May 19.
The remaining 76 customers, who have not registered their Chicago Cards, are asked to check the serial number on the back of the card against a list of serial numbers of defective cards posted on CTA's web site, www.transitchicago.com, or on the Chicago Card web site, www.chicago-card.com. If the serial number is listed, contact CTA Customer Service at 1-888-YOUR-CTA (1-888-968-7282) to obtain a replacement card.
Customers without access to a computer can contact Customer Service to check the serial number. Cards included on the list will be deactivated on May 23.
The balance on replacement cards will include the value added to the original card by the customer, minus the cost of rides taken. In cases where the cost of rides taken exceeds the balance of the card, CTA is providing customers with a zero balance Chicago Card. Customers will not be charged for rides that exceed the balance on the defective cards. The CTA is seeking reimbursement for those rides from Cubic.
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