CTA Fare Increase Starts January 7, 2018

By Jerrita Denise

If you use Chicago public transportation system, you should be expecting a change starting January 7. Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is always finding a way to come out on top, and one way to do that is to pass on expenses to the consumer through rate hikes. The fare increase has come about because the state of Illinois cut CTA’s funding level by $33 million. Instead of CTA cutting some services, they decided to increase the rides a few cents.

A cash single fare ride used to be $2.25 but now it is going up to $2.50. Full Fare bus rides with the Ventra pass will rise from $2.00 to $2.25. CTA 30-day passes were $100 and will now be $105.

The CTA has not increased the fares in almost a decade,  the last fare increase happening in 2009. The budget for 2018 is nearly $10 million less overall than the 2017 budget. CTA has improved stations, made track repairs to speed up travel time, added new technology to improve customer experience, and now they are rebuilding the Redline terminal on 95th Street.

Not many changes will occur with the fare increase. Some fares will remain the same. For more information on fares and changes, you can visit Chicago Transit Authority’s website.