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Chicago officials will give away free gas and public transit cards to help struggling Windy City residents cope with the recent spike in gasoline prices.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday announced the initiative, called Chicago Moves, which will see the city invest $12.5 million to issue 50,000 cards that will be distributed to residents through a lottery — each worth $150 at the pump.
Another 100,000 cards, each worth $50, will be distributed to residents to use the city’s public transportation system, WMAQ-TV reported.
The program will target lower-income residents.
“People have to be able to get to work, school, places of worship, medical offices, grocery stores,” Lightfoot said at a press conference.
“The goal of this program is to help make those moves easier,” she said.
“I know from talking to many residents that they are feeling the strain,” Lightfoot said. “There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it. And many are unable to fill their tanks as much as they normally would because their dollars just don’t stretch that far.
“So, my administration’s been working through a variety of options to see how we can provide the greatest relief to as many residents as we can,” she said.
Gas prices at the pump have skyrocketed in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to the American Automobile Association, the current average price of a gallon of regular gas in the US is now $4.225 — up from $2.874 one year ago and $3.610 just one month ago.
According to WMAQ, the average price in Chicago is even higher, at $4.843 on Thursday.
Lightfoot said she would also ask Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul to look into the rising prices, adding that she is “very concerned about gas gouging” by service stations.
Chicagoans can start applying for the cards on April 27.
Applicants must be Chicago residents at least 18 years old, have a valid sticker on their vehicles, and have household incomes below or at 140 percent of the city’s area median income, officials said.
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