(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Thursday's commute downtown could be a little complicated as Metra rolls out several changes to how fares are structured and how riders can buy tickets.
Among the changes: Ten-ride tickets will be replaced with five-packs of day passes; there will be four fare zones instead of 10; and ticket windows at stations are closing.
Metra spokesman Michael Gillis said the agents will still be there during the morning rush to help riders buy from new vending machines or through the Ventra app.
"No one's getting laid off because of this," he said. "Like I said, we're putting those people in front of the windows instead of behind the windows."
Because of these changes, riders will not be able to buy their February monthly passes until Thursday.
"We weren't able to do that for February because of this transition," said Gillis. "We have to have a hard stop to the old system."
Gillis said a program offering reduced fares for riders along the Electric and Rock Island Lines is being replaced by the Access Pilot Program, which will make SNAP recipients eligible for discounts on all Metra lines.
All of the changes, he added, are part of an effort by Metra to simplify rider experience. Gillis said Metra's received feedback over the years that its pay structure is too complex and somewhat intimidating to new riders.
Metra hopes a simplified system will help boost ridership, which Gillis said is still lagging as fewer workers head into downtown offices — with the majority coming Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
"Last week, we saw ridership at about 65% of pre-pandemic ridership on those days," he said.
A full breakdown of the fare changes can be found on Metra's website.
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