IN Peters Township December 2019/January 2020 | Page 4

PORT AUTHORITY’S SENIOR
CITIZEN CONNECTCARD
OFFERS NEW CONVENIENCE
FOR THOSE ON THE GO
SENIOR CITIZEN
Pennsylvania’s senior
citizens have had a number
of options for using the
region’s transit system, but
a new consolidation effort
streamlines those options into
one free and easy-to-use card
for travelling throughout the
5-3921158837
Commonwealth.
Port Authority’s new Senior
Citizen ConnectCard will replace
the need for Medicare ID cards, or blue and yellow
senior transit ID cards, allowing them to tap and go
on any Port Authority vehicle. While the blue and
yellow senior transit cards will continue to be used
indefinitely for those who choose not to make the
switch, the use of Medicare ID cards for free transit
will be phased out on Dec. 31.
Seniors who want to make the switch to the ease
and convenience that the ConnectCard offers can do
so at the Port Authority’s Downtown Service Center
(623 Smithfield Street), where applications and cards
can be processed while you wait. They can also apply
for ConnectCards at a number of state legislator
offices throughout the region, where processing times
may take up to a few weeks.
Regardless of their location,
riders will need to turn in
their previously issued blue
or yellow senior transit cards
if they elect to register for a
Senior Citizen ConnectCard.
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“It’s a trade up,” said Adam
Brandolph, Public Relations
Manager for the Port Authority.
“This new card gives seniors all the technology
and ease of use that the regular ConnectCards
already provide. A lot of seniors have reached out to
us, asking for the capability to just tap and go like all of
the other riders, without having to produce a Medicare
ID or senior transit ID. This solves that concern and
makes things easier for our senior patrons.”
Riders must be 65 or older to apply for the Senior
Citizen ConnectCard, which has built in features to
help prevent fraud and can be used to receive various
discounts at shops and stores throughout the region
as part of Port Authority’s ConnectRewards program.
Regular ConnectCards for those not yet 65 are always
available at most Giant Eagle supermarkets and
Goodwill stores.
HERE ARE SOME OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEW SENIOR
CITIZEN CONNECTCARD ROLLOUT:
• Seniors throughout the Pittsburgh
region can now apply for Port
Authority’s Senior Citizen ConnectCard
in several local communities.
• Like the Medicare ID card or blue or
yellow Pennsylvania Senior Transit
identification card, the Senior Citizen
ConnectCard allows seniors age 65
and up to ride public transit for free
throughout Pennsylvania.
• Legislative offices across the county are
now equipped to process applications.
• Seniors who use a Medicare ID card
to ride public transit will be able to
use those cards until Dec. 31, 2019,
After that, Port Authority will no longer
accept Medicare ID cards. The blue
or yellow Pennsylvania Senior Transit
identification cards will be accepted
indefinitely.
• Applicants must apply for the new card
in person in order to get a photo taken,
and must be 65 years old (photo ID and
proof of age required).
• Applications completed at Port
Authority’s Downtown Service Center
will be processed on the same day.
Those completed at local legislative
offices will take two to four weeks to
process, and cards will be mailed back
to the offices for pickup.
• The Senior Citizen ConnectCard uses
the same technology as Port Authority’s
ConnectCard, which has been in use
for several years.
• If you’re not yet 65, you can get a
ConnectCard at most Giant Eagle and
Goodwill locations, at Port Authority’s
Downtown Service Center, or at one
of the many ConnectCard machines
conveniently located throughout the
region.
• For more information, please call
Port Authority Customer Service at
412.442.2000
Contact your Elected
Official Today
Rep. Natalie Mihalek
3515 Washington Road
Suite 540
McMurray, PA 15317
724.942.2045
Office hours may vary. Please contact your local
office for days and times.