All three of the Chicago area’s largest transit agencies have agreed to participate in a test that would allow residents to purchase a one-day pass to use on the CTA, Metra and Pace.
Pace City’s Board of Commissioners approved the passes on Wednesday, marking the final step in moving toward a citywide day-pass system.
One-day passes will be available for use on CTA buses and trains, Metra trains and Pace buses in and around Chicago and will be available through the Ventra app, officials said.
Pace board chairman Rick Kwasneski said the agency supports the use of Universal Pass and looks forward to working with Metra and the CTA to make the trial a success.
“We fully support Universal Pass,” he said. “This is a great opportunity to work with our sister agencies to provide a seamless process for riders.”
The passes are funded by the Regional Transportation Authority and cost between $10 and $16 depending on which zones riders plan to travel in. And what day of the week will you be traveling?
Though pricing will differ, passengers and transit agency employees can look forward to using one pass to travel on all three systems in one day.
“Obviously I work with Pace in the suburbs, so I use Pace and Metra a lot,” said Brett Burkhart, northern regional manager. “We want to make our customers’ lives a little easier so they don’t have to plan ahead and can do it all on the same pass.”
Officials said the rollout will occur in the coming months and that trials, once underway, will last for six months.
