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Virtual Open House
Metra held an online open house about the plan on July 25. See a video of the session below.
Overview/Proposed Changes
Metra is proposing a plan for 2024 that would simplify the fare structure to improve the rider experience. We want to know what you think about it.
The proposal aims to create a fare structure that customers can easily understand, that will encourage ridership, that will simplify onboard fare collection, and that meets Metra’s financial and technical constraints. Fares would be set at or below pre-pandemic fares, and promotional fares introduced during the pandemic would be discontinued.
Currently there are 10 fare zones for One-Way and 10-Ride tickets, essentially two zones for weekday Day Passes and one zone (or, a flat rate) for Monthly Passes, Saturday or Sunday (or Holiday) Day Passes and Weekend Passes.
Under the proposal, the following changes would be implemented:
- Zones: The 10 fare zones would be discontinued and replaced with four zones (see map below) for One-Way Tickets, weekday Day Passes and Monthly Passes and one zone for all weekend passes. Downtown stations would be assigned to Zone 1 and outlying stations would be assigned to Zones 2 through 4 based on a combination of distance from downtown, service patterns and ridership characteristics on each line, which vary.
- The 10-Ride Ticket: The 10-Ride Ticket would be replaced with a new fare product, a Bundle of Five Day Passes. The bundle would be available only on the Ventra app and priced the same as the 10-Ride Ticket, at 9.5 times the cost of a One-Way Ticket. The passes in the Bundle would not have to be used on consecutive days; rather, they could be used on any five days in a 60-day period (10-Ride Tickets are valid for 90 days.) The bundle could be shared by up to five people traveling together.
- Incremental Fares: “Incremental fares” – a surcharge to travel beyond the zones indicated on the ticket – would be discontinued. Riders would be required to buy a ticket valid for the trip they are taking.
Proposed Fare Zone Map
(To see a list of proposed zone assignments by line, click here)
Proposed Fare Products and Prices
- One-Way Tickets to the downtown zone, Zone 1, would cost $3.75 from Zone 2, $5.50 from Zone 3 and $6.75 from Zone 4. The new one-way fare from all zones would be equal to or lower than the current one-way fare. To encourage non-downtown trips, all One-Way Tickets for trips that do not include downtown as a starting point or destination would cost $3.75, no matter the distance.
- The weekday Day Pass would be priced at twice the cost of a One-Way Ticket and would be valid for unlimited rides for a single day within the zones selected. The current $6 and $10 weekday Day Passes, introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic as promotional fares, would be discontinued.
- A Bundle of Five Day Passes would be priced at 9.5 times the cost of a One-Way Ticket and would only be available via the Ventra app. The passes in the bundle would not have to be used on consecutive days; rather, they could be used on any five days in a 60-day period. The 10-Ride Ticket, which is valid for 90 days, would be discontinued. The bundle could be shared by up to five people traveling together.
- A Monthly Pass would be priced at 20 times the cost of a One-Way Ticket: $75 for Zone 2, $110 for Zone 3 and $135 for Zone 4. This pricing is below the cost of pre-COVID Monthly Passes. The current $100 flat-rate “Super Saver” Monthly Pass, introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic as a promotional fare, would be discontinued.
- Metra would no longer allow riders to pay “incremental fares” – a surcharge to travel beyond the zones indicated on their ticket. Instead, riders would be required to buy a ticket valid for the trip they are taking.
- Reduced fares of roughly 50 percent would still be available for senior citizens 65 or older, customers with disabilities and Medicare cardholders who have an RTA-issued Reduced Fare Permit. Those enrolled in the Illinois Benefit Access program with an RTA-issued Ride Free Permit would still be eligible to ride free. Reduced Fares also would still be available for K-12 students and active duty military personnel.
The proposal does not include changes to the following fare products and prices:
- The $30 Regional Connect Pass would be available to Monthly Pass buyers for unlimited rides on CTA and Pace.
- The $7 Saturday, Sunday, or Holiday Day Pass would be available, and the $10 Weekend Pass still would be available on the Ventra app only.
Proposed Fare Chart
Questions and Answers
Click here to see a Q&A about the 2024 Fare Plan
Give Us Your Feedback
Feedback about the plan can be sent to 2024FarePlan@metrarr.com. All emails received by Sunday, August 20, will be compiled and available to the Metra Board of Directors.