CTA rider: Recognize my Link-Up pass

Evanne Christian wrote to "Going Public" with a complaint about the Link-Up Pass, which connects Metra, CTA and Pace travel. Here is a related complaint about Link-Up. Riders, can you help Christian with her problem?

"In an attempt to save on my transportation expenses, I recently purchased a 30-day Metra pass with a Link-Up stamp for Pace, as well as for CTA (valid only on weekdays during limited rush hours).

First of all, it's absurd for CTA to think that commuters only travel to and from work before 9 a.m. and between 3:30-7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Secondly, most RTA employees, especially those with Pace and CTA, do not recognize the Metra monthly pass with a Link-Up stamp!

I have arguments with RTA personnel nearly every day, and my fellow commuters are justifiably annoyed at the delay. After being treated like a criminal, I often end up paying the fare in order to just move on! (Once another passenger insisted on paying it for me...).

Even on Metra, the operators act as if I am trying to use a counterfeit pass that I illegally designed myself. After sharing my dilemma with friends and co-workers, I've learned that I am not the only one to have experienced this frustration.

Everybody tells me to just give up, but I don't want to flush $129.45 down the drain! Why doesn't Metra/Pace/CTA instruct their employees to recognize the passes which these agencies issue?

Believe me, even when I display the RTA marketing pamphlet, I get no consideration. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can prove that my Metra pass with a Link-Up stamp is valid and/or how I can convince RTA personnel to accept it?"