CTA, Metra, Pace approve combined day pass pilot program

The CTA, Metra and Pace boards have approved a new day pass allowing commuters to access unlimited rides on the three systems on a given day.

The Pace Board of Directors unanimously voted to approve the combined day pass during its meeting Wednesday.

“Our sister agencies have all approved this, and this is something we’ve all talked about for a while,” Pace Chairman Richard A. Kwasneski said during the meeting. “This is the first step of collectively, all of us, providing that for our customers, to be seamless.”

The Regional Day Pass will be sold through the Ventra mobile app. It will be implemented as soon as Cubic, the vendor for the Ventra mobile app, completes development and testing. The pilot program is set to run for six months.

The day pass will be $10 on the weekend and $10 to $16 on weekdays, depending on the number of Metra zones traveled, according to the agreement. That’s slightly cheaper than the current combined price of separate day passes, which range from $12 to $18.50 on weekdays and $12 on weekends. Each pass expires at 3 a.m. the day after purchase.

The revenue from the Regional Day Pass will be split among the agencies. The Regional Transit Authority agreed to cover up to $1 million in lost revenue to the agencies during the pilot.

The new pass comes as the three agencies face a potential combined $760 million funding shortfall in 2026 when federal pandemic grants expire. State legislators are considering combining the three agencies in exchange for over $1 billion in funding to keep them afloat.