Low-income Metra riders could see fares slashed, as pilot program that cut fares in south Cook County ends
Transportation authorities are looking to test a new program next year that will offer half-priced Metra fares to low-income residents, as a pilot program that lowered fares on South Side Metra routes is set to end.
The new program, which could begin in February, would allow all state residents eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a federal income-based program, to apply for reduced-priced fares. It is expected only to be offered to Metra riders, and would not apply to riders of the region’s other two transit agencies, Pace and the CTA.
It is set to begin after the Fair Transit South Cook pilot program ends in January. The Cook County-backed program has slashed fares since 2021 for all riders on the Metra Electric line to the south suburbs and the Rock Island line to the southwest suburbs, and boosted the frequency of nearby Pace service. County officials have said the participating Metra lines recovered ridership from pandemic lows quicker than other lines.
The south Cook program was proposed by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle as an “equity investment” intended to help ensure South Side and south suburban residents had better access to transit. The plan initially was to bring the CTA in to provide free transfers with a Ventra card, but it drew opposition from then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who worried about the effects reduced Metra fares could have on ridership on the cheaper, city-based transit agency. The CTA never signed on.
This time around, spokeswomen for Cook County and the Regional Transportation Authority said limiting the program to Metra, largely a commuter rail service, came down to funding. The hope is to eventually expand the reduced-fare program for low-income residents to all of the region’s transit agencies, including the CTA, but more money would be required than Cook County could currently provide.
“Although they are more concentrated in south Cook, lower-income households are found throughout Cook County as well as the larger metropolitan area,” Cook County spokeswoman Natalia Derevyanny said in an email. “Reducing fares for these riders would make transit more equitable.”
A transition for Metra would have been necessary regardless once the Fair Transit South Cook program ends, she said. County funding for the increased Pace service along the 352 Halsted route has run out, she said, and that service will now be paid for by the suburban transit agency.
The new 18-month pilot is expected to cost $10 million, and Cook County is proposing contributing $6 million in its budget, RTA spokeswoman Tina Smith said. The remainder would come from RTA and Metra, who are also seeking state funding.
The RTA currently administers free and reduced fare programs for seniors and people with disabilities, but does not have an income-based program. The existing programs would not change.
The new reduced-fare program comes as RTA and other regional transportation planners have been pushing for more state funding for the existing free and reduced-fare programs, some of which are federally required, as part of ongoing conversations about what the future of transit and transit funding should look. The conversations are taking place as the region’s three agencies prepare to face large budget gaps when federal pandemic aid starts to run out in 2025.
Funding for a permanent income-based program, including all of the region’s transit agencies, should be part of those discussions, Derevyanny said.
Smith said the new program has the potential to both make Metra more affordable for riders who need it, and it could increase ridership on the rail service.
“We believe that fare prices create a barrier for people who are transit dependent, and we really want to see if that’s true,” Smith said. “If we lower fares, we see increased ridership, and we see people taking Metra who — it would be a more convenient option for them but they’re not taking it because of price barriers.”
