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

The 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 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 . 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 to combine the CTA, Metra, Pace and the RTA in exchange for over $1 billion in funding to keep them afloat.