Many Seniors Need Photo ConnectCards for Free Port Authority Rides Jan. 1

Pittsburgh's Port Authority has issued about 27,000 photo ConnectCards for Pennsylvania seniors to use for free transit rides instead of their Medicare cards Jan. 1, but the agency will not know if everyone who should have the cards has received them until after the new year, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Starting Jan. 1, seniors who previously showed drivers their Medicare cards will have to tap the ConnectCard with their photo on the fare box to get free transit. This is due to a revised rule requiring seniors to use either a card with their photo or the state-issued cardboard transit cards. Medicare cards will no longer be accepted for free rides because the state Department of Transportation said too many seniors permitted people under 65 to use their Medicare cards to get free rides. "The fact that we have processed 27,000-plus cards is a testament to the state legislators who want to distribute them through their offices, at senior centers, and at community events," said authority spokesperson Adam Brandolph.