CTA board votes to try combined day pass with Pace, Metra

The Chicago Transit Authority board voted Tuesday to enter a pilot program with Metra and Pace to offer combined day passes at a reduced fare.

The six-month pilot program, which could begin this fall, still needs the approval of Pace's board, which votes on the matter Wednesday. Metra's board passed the measure earlier in June.

Day passes will be $10 on weekends and between $10 and $16 on weekdays, depending on the number of Metra zones traveled, according to the agreement. The Regional Day Pass, similar to the combined monthly pass that’s been around since 2022, will be sold through the Ventra mobile app. Passes expire at 3 a.m. the day after purchase.

The Regional Transit Authority agreed to cover up to $1 million in lost revenue to the agencies during the pilot, covering what they would have charged for separate day passes, according to the agreement. The RTA has called the pilot a “major step forward for integrating fare policies and products between the region’s transit agencies” as they address changing post-pandemic travel patterns.

The new pass comes as agencies face a potential combined $760 million funding shortfall in 2026 when federal pandemic grants expire. State legislators are considering a bill to combine the CTA, Metra, Pace and the RTA in exchange for over $1 billion in funding to keep them afloat.