Posted Dec. 16 at 12:22 p.m.

Update:  Tony Coppoletta at CTA - the Manageof External Electronic Communications is the man behind the transitchicago.com "Extreme Home Page Makeover."

Awww  yeah, it's business time.  I know I've been lazy with the posts, due to my "Going Public" and "Hey, CTA!" hustle, but I had to mention some news of the day.

The CTA has launched a new sexy-looking site.  Check it out at www.transitchicago.com.  This much more image-oriented and seemingly more navigation-friendly effort just popped up today and the CTA already sent out a press release congratulating itself for the move.  Thank you, and you're welcome.

I'll post more here later, including (hopefully) an answer to RedEye Twitterer questions about whodunnit.  In the meantime, some initial observations:

1.  Loving the merchandise that is being pimped out front on the site.  It's engaging, colorful and I support anything that helps the agency get its money right.

2.  Kudos on the Brown Line construction link.  I've been a fan of their microsite with Brown Line updates, but enough riders ask me questions about what is going on that I sensed it should be more prominent.  Done, and done.

3.  Big ups to the system alerts on the right-hand corner letting you know the service construction status on various areas of the rail. 

4.  Not liking that hokey looking holiday train image, but in all, I do think that the icons are helpful throughout the page.

Thoughts?  Do you likee?  Want to do a Mr. Blackwell-style dressdown of the site makeover? Have at it!

Posted Nov. 25 at 11:38 p.m.

What's up my 95thers all the way on the southernmost tip of the Red Line?  This news is for you. Today, the CTA announced a meeting for the extension of the Red Line, and act that -- if funded -- would take the tracks down to 134th Street.  Good news for rider who have to deal with annoying feeder buses just to get to the Red Line each morning and evening.  Below are more deets on the meet. 

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at

Thursday, Dec. 4 at

Posted Nov. 19 at 12:40 p.m.

For those of us who have had to dig for, and straighten, crumpled bills to reload cards as well as those of us who have been incensed by glitches with Chicago Card/Plus, today's exclusive story in the Chicago Tribune may give you cause for celebration.

To summarize, within a year, the CTA will enable riders to use smart credit and bank debit cards to pay for their rides.  It's kind of "Total Recall" meets "Matrix," by CTA standards, and it's all the rage in Europe. 

But given the CTA's reputation and some glitches with existing smart cards previously detailed in this blog, do you trust that this will be an improvement?  Or are you scared to touch your bank or credit card to these next-gen pads?  Tell me what you think...

Posted Nov. 18 at 12:44 p.m.

Did you feel The Hawk swooping down on you today?  Of course, you did.  Break out the gloves and scarves, peepz.  It is officially cold in the Chi.  That said, today's "Going Public" is all about construction spots that need to be up and running before it gets really bad.  Are there trouble spots you are noticing?  Got any suggestions for the CTA on how to properly winterize?  I'll pass them along.

Posted Nov. 11 at 8:35 a.m.

The CTA has all kinds of whizz bang technology planned for us riders.  We've got almost half the routes online with bus tracker (Word to CTA: hurry up with the rest) and in the near future, next-train alerts will keep us from pining away on the platforms.

But recently, I wondered what was up with what I considered a low-tech, but fairly effective solution for those of us who cannot seem to get adequate info from customer assistants and do not have the supersonic hearing required for garbled platform announcements. 

I'm talking about the whiteboards you've seen, perhaps particularly around the Blue Line, which update you on construction and closures.  Sure beats trying to guess, huh?

CTA spokeswoman Wanda Taylor hit me with an update on what is up with whiteboards for systemwide consumption. Apparently, the pilot project -- started last year-- performed pretty well and the boards may launch systemwide.  Taylor said: "Through the test, the CTA learned a great deal about providing real-time information through the boards and refinements that are needed in the boards' design before they can be mass-produced throughout the system.  The CTA is currently using information learned from the experiment to create a new prototype of the board."

Before they do all that:  Are you on board with the boards?  Would you like to see more of them?  Why or why not?

Posted Sept. 22 at 11:58 a.m

Next up?  Next-train information. 

After years of wanting to snatch those phony, lying train schedules right out of their station display cases, looks like riders will catch a break.  Our friends at the CTA announced today that next-train information will be available on digital screens by next summer.  Next summer.  In the immortal words of Paris Hilton, "that's hot."

Next-train updates are brought to you by the CTA's newest digital advertising initiative, according to a report from the Trib that details how this technology will also be used to add advertising to the sides of buses.  All told, the program will add $10 million to the CTA's coffers over the next 10 years.

And that's not all....it may also be used to provide up-to-date info on what the heck is going on with the system during emergencies.  Could this mean the end of relying on garbled station announcements or slow-to-stir attendants?  Be still my beating heart.

Posted Sept. 12 at 12:18 p.m.

Hold off, you riders angry enough to possibly stage a sit -in to protest a CTA experiment to render some cars seatless.  The agency slightly amended its plan, per this Trib story.

Once prepared to boldly rip all of the seats out of up to two cars on the Brown Line during rush hour as a way to expand capacity, the CTA is now just taking some of the seating out of up to two cars. 

I'd love to hear from Brown Liners who are test driving these cars that now have about 23 to 25 seats, according to the Trib. Also, all my Other Liners, do you want to see this along your neck of the woods?

I've heard a lot of "hell naws" with respect to the initial announcement, but I'm wondering if the fact that only some seats are gone make a difference.

Posted Sept. 10 at 3:28 p.m.

Sigh.  Is all this gloom and doom about the CTA's strapped budget woes bringing you down?

Well, let's cheer ourselves up by having a little fun. 

Let's come up with ways for the downtrodden agency to make some more money.  At this point, maybe one of these public transit proto-types could work. 

How's about:

(1) Bus Bake Sales: People eat on the bus all the time, so sell them some public transit pastries.  We can run this thing along the routes all day, but be prepared for some crumb clean-up.

(2) Claim that Rail: The "L" cars are wrapped by advertisers all the time, so sell the whole dang Line to some nostalgic soul.  CTA Prez Ron Huberman has mentioned his interest in sponsorship in the past, so why not now?  I've got no problem with UPS locking down the Brown Line, Orange Julius claiming the Orange Line or even Pepto Bismol owning the Pink Line.  As the Wayans' Bros used to say, "mo money, mo money."

(3) Mass Transit Movies: As long as some of us have to sit on boring buses and "L" cars, perhaps the CTA could work up a Netflix -like service.  They can set up some screen space and allow riders with disposable headphones to watch movies while they ride.  My recommendation: Don't offer "Speed" or "Money Train" as featured flicks. That might turn it into a fright fest.

Posted Aug. 29 at 6:12 p.m.

This just in. The CTA has added another cell phone service provider to its subway.  Beginning Monday, Verizon Wireless service will work in the subterranean sections of the CTA.   

Can you hear me now?  Good.

Sorry, I couldn't resist that one.

Even if you're not a VZW customer, you can cell-e-brate that the agency will earn close to $28,000 per month for a 10-year contract with Verizon.  This is in addition to the agency's now two-year-old $2.9 million deal with U.S. Cellular.  Cha ching! 

Sadly, the down side to these deals is also obvious: the potential for more cell yell.  That's why "Going Public" feels it is important to unload with this obvious advice.  Please. don't. talk. loudly.  Don't understand the urgency?  Read this previous post from a rider decrying cell nation.

It will fall on deaf ears, but what advice do you want to give VZW users as they exercise newfound phone freedom?

Posted Aug. 21 at 12:30 p.m.

Lately, it seems like the CTA is more into extensions than Lil' Kim and Paris Hilton combined.  The transit agency held a public hearing on a potential Orange Line stretch from Midway to Ford City Mall earlier this week.  Now, there's a public meeting on adding on to the Yellow Line to stretch it to Old Orchard Mall. 

Want to go sound off?  Have at it, but these meetings are -- as CTA spy Double-Oh-Fo' wisely pointed out-- inconvenient for those who work a J-O-B...

Here are the deets on the meet:  Tuesday, Aug. 26 from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at National Louis University, North Shore Campus at Skokie-3rd Floor at 5202 Old Orchard Road in Skokie, IL.