Metra board OK's major changes to fare structure coming February 2024
CHICAGO (CBS) – Metra is making big changes to its fare structure that officials said will make it easier for commuters to get around.
Metra's 10 zones will be reduced to four. Commuters can also say goodbye to the super-save $100 monthly pass.
For a monthly pass in Zone 2, customers will pay $75. In Zone 3, they'll be $110, and in Zone 4, $135.
Also, the 10-ride pass will go away. Instead, the agency will use a day pass that works in increments of five days.
But ticket prices will be below or equal to what they were before the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said.
The transit agency's board also approved a $1.1 billion operating budget for 2024. It includes what it called "significant investments" in rail cars, bridges, and Metra stations.
Metra projects its ridership to be at around half of pre-pandemic levels.
The changes all start in February of 2024.