Regional day passes available now for CTA, Metra and Pace
The regional day pass costs between $10 and $16 on weekdays depending on the length of the Metra trip. Weekend day passes cost $9.50.
The passes are priced to cost $2.50 more than a Metra day pass while giving riders full access to rides on CTA and Pace. That means that riders who, for instance, take a CTA train to and from a Metra station could save $2.50 by using the pass, because the cost of a CTA day pass is $5.00.
Passes are available for purchase in the latest version of the Ventra app. The program is a pilot that is set to last at least six months.
The day pass announcement comes after state lawmakers last month failed to pass transit reform legislation — or find funding to avert a looming $771 million fiscal cliff — during their spring legislative session.
Legislation introduced in Springfield last month would have overhauled the structure and governance of the Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees CTA, Metra and Pace, by replacing it with a new oversight body called the Northern Illinois Transit Authority. The legislation, had it passed, would have given NITA broad authority to set fares and schedules and specifically called for the creation of an integrated fare system by 2030.
Leanne Redden, RTA's executive director, referenced the failed governance and funding negotiations in Springfield in a statement about the day pass pilot.
'This pass is another step in our shared effort to make transit more seamless and rider-friendly across the region,' Redden said.
'To build a truly connected transit system, we need both reform and support, including increased operating funding and action on proposed legislative changes that would centralize and make fare integration easier to implement and sustain,' Redden added.
The agencies could continue the pilot program permanently next year — 'depending on funding availability,' they said.
The qualifier hints at the fact that the CTA, Metra and Pace are planning for the possibility of making drastic 40% service cuts next year if lawmakers don't allocate more funding in the coming months.
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