If you live in Chicago, you may be eligible for a new, free gas or public transportation card from the city, but how should you apply?
Chicagoans can start applying for the program, which will hand out 50,000 pre-loaded gas cards worth $ 150 each and 100,000 pre-loaded public transportation cards worth $ 50 each on Wednesday.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said applications were limited to one per household and would be selected through a lottery system.
To apply online, click here.
Chicagoans can also apply in person at any location in the city’s public library or by competing with this pdf app and mail it to the Chicago Treasury Department.
However, only eligible candidates will be entered in the lottery. To be eligible for any card, applicants must:
- Be a resident of Chicago
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have an up-to-date and valid city sticker with correct postal information about your vehicle
- Bring household income to or below 100% of the average income of the area
According to Chicago, the average income for a family of four is $ 93,200. Lightfoot also plans to reserve 75% of its gas cards for residents of the South and West Side neighborhoods, described as “high mobility difficulties”.
The cards will be distributed from May in waves of 10,000 city residents.
The proposal simply progressed on its way to approval, winning by just three votes to 26 and 23 against, during Wednesday’s meeting, chaired by Lightfoot.
According to Mary Ann Ahern of NBC Chicago, several aldermen during the board meeting called the program a campaign trick.
Last week, the budget committee of the Municipal Council brought the program one step closer to reality by almost 15 to 12 votes.
Chicago businessman Willie Wilson, who announced he was running for mayor in 2023, held a $ 3 million gas distribution last week at dozens of gas stations in the city and suburbs of Chicago. Wilson recently called Lightfoot’s plan a “political trick.”
As of Wednesday, the national average price for a gallon of gas was $ 4,134, according to the AAA. In Illinois, the average price for a gallon of gas is slightly higher – $ 4,394. That’s a little less than a month ago, when the average gallon of gas in Illinois was $ 4,494.
Add Comment