Metra riders who receive Illinois Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will be able to pay reduced fares on all Metra trains under a new low-income fare pilot.
The program will work like the existing RTA reduced-fare permits, which allow seniors and riders with disabilities to pay about half of what the regular riders pay to ride throughout the Chicago area. This program will be Metra-only, and riders will need to apply for a Metra Access Pass. The pilot will kick off Feb. 1 when other fare changes take effect, and it will run until at least July 31, 2025.
The program comes as Metra prepares to discontinue the Fair Transit South Cook program, in which Cook County provided subsidies to allow Metra to offer reduced fares on the two lines that serve the South Side of Chicago and south suburbs – Metra Electric and Rock Island District. As part of the biggest fare overhaul in decades, Metra reduced the number of fare zones and reduced ticket prices, but that will still be a fare increase for the two lines. The new pilot will ensure that some low-income riders will be able to keep paying lower fares not just on Fair Transit lines, but across the entire Chicago area six-county region.
Under the new fare system that will take effect on Feb. 1, both Oak Park and River Forest stations will be in Fare Zone 2.
Most riders traveling from Zone 2 to downtown Chicago will pay $3.75 for one-way tickets and $75 for monthly passes. Metra Access Pass holders will pay $1.75 for one-way tickets and $37.50 for monthly passes. For riders using the ‘L’ lines in Chicago and the suburbs, this will represent a cheaper, albeit less frequent, option, because they would still have to pay regular $2.50 fares.
According to Metra spokesperson Michael Gillis, Metra Access Passes will look like the reduced-fare permits, which have picture IDs, except they will be a different color. Riders will need to show their eligibility in order to get the pass. Unlike the regular reduced fare passes, Access Pass holders will be able to get discounts for the members of their household.
According to a December memo to the Metra Board of Directors, Cook County will reimburse the transit agency for up to 74% of the money they lost by giving Access Pass holders who travel within Cook County. It won’t get any reimbursements for the lost revenue in the collar counties.
Metra will do an analysis of the pilot within the first six months of operation, and may conduct more down the line. The transit agency can terminate the agreement before the pilot expires by giving a 90-day notice.
The Metra Board of Directors approved the agreement unanimously as part of a larger consent agenda.
