11/16/2012 Update on the 2013 Budget
Metra has proposed a change in the cost of a 10-ride ticket so that it would equal 10 one-way fares, rather than the current practice of having the price equal nine one-way fares.

That's the Pace bus.

10 ride tickets are only good then if you sometimes run late and if you needed a ticket you'd have to get it on the train.

The real cleanup used to be the monthly passes. It was 27 rides so you had 13 rides free. Even more if there were 21 or 22 weekdays in a month. And if you took the train on weekends even more.

A few years ago when I worked downtown I really cut it close to get my train going home every day. Not only did I get between 13-17 free rides every month I also saved money when I didn't have to pay the at that time 1 dollar surcharged. I also often went downtown on weekends. One month I estimated I got 21 free rides and at least 10 times would have had to pay the 1 dollar surcharge to pay on the train without the pass.

I would rather shove a fork in my eye that to take public transportation. Its all I can take to ride the airport shuttle buses.

I would rather shove a fork in my eye that to take public transportation.

Okay, and I would rather shove a red-hot poker up my ass than take the Kennedy into the city to get downtown. Different strokes.

You do know we're talking about Metra, right, in which Scorehead types just drink all the way from the Loop to Geneva or Naperville? It's not like a homeless black guy is going to pee on you or something (though if you want that more than you're letting on I'm sure we can arrange for something).

Funny how these Metra douches can't acknowledge or entertain the thought that big recent fare increases could be part of the problem. No, it's got to be job loss, job transfers, schedules, or some "accessibility" bullshit.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 8703.story

Parking everyday downtown plus gas used to get there would probably be double or more for what you pay for Metra.

Not anymore.


Definitely not if you are a person that starts work early.

I park in the loop for 6.25 per day.

Even with a monthly its still about 7$ a day on metra

The gas makes it about 20-30$ more per week to drive. Which is a reasonable amount for me since I save about an hour and a half to two hours by driving

Not anymore.


Definitely not if you are a person that starts work early.

I park in the loop for 6.25 per day.

Even with a monthly its still about 7$ a day on metra

The gas makes it about 20-30$ more per week to drive. Which is a reasonable amount for me since I save about an hour and a half to two hours by driving

Where do you park? I have to drive in to work on Monday and I can't find a lot with a cheaper early bird than $12.00.

Someone should do a study on how much Metra would save by eliminating weekend service and get back to the basics of the service which was to get people back and forth to work during the week, not so belligerent Cub and Lovie Smith fans can ride the train on the weekends and act like the drunken fuckbags they are. They lose money to begin with and the $7 weekend pass they take a bath on. They would save a lot of money in fuel costs, labor costs and not continue to lose their shirt letting people ride all weekend for 7 bucks.

We'll carpool. I'll be at your house at 5:30 on Monday morning.

I wonder how much money they would save in the long run by moving the whole system to electric. Commuter rail on the East Coast is all electric.