As Metra approved a “modest” fare increase Wednesday that drew few complaints from the public, officials indicated the agency could someday give discounts to riders who travel during off-peak times.
The commuter rail agency is on the verge of unveiling its Ventra app, which will allow riders to use their smartphones as their tickets, and will also launch a study evaluating the overall fare structure, officials said.
The app would provide the technical capability to help Metra give discounts to riders who travel in non-rush hours, reverse commuters and possibly students, all of whom could fill empty seats.
Metra’s board unanimously approved the 2016 fare hike that is expected to increase the agency’s revenue by about 2 percent.
Effective Feb. 1, monthly tickets will increase by a flat $2.50 per month, an increase of 0.9 percent to 2.7 percent, depending on distance to downtown Chicago. The vast majority of Metra’s 150,000 daily riders buy monthly tickets.
The cost of a 10-ride ticket, the next most popular choice of riders, will rise $1.75, an increase of 1.9 percent to 6 percent, depending on the distance of the trip.
One-way tickets will cost 25 cents more, an increase of 2.4 percent to 7.7 percent, depending on distance.
Metra Chairman Martin Oberman has called the increase “modest” and expressed some frustration that the agency received scant feedback in a series of public hearings across the six-county region last week.
Only about 20 people showed up at the eight hearings, including one at Union Station, Metra’s busiest, during the evening rush hour so commuters could drop by on their way home. Metra also received about 24 emailed comments.
Some riders complained about the increase, but others supported it, Oberman said, adding there was no common complaint expressed.
“It’s hard to draw conclusions when you hear from virtually none of your riders,” Oberman said. “I think if there were general dissatisfaction, we would have heard a lot more. I think people generally recognize we provide a good product.”
He said Metra tried hard to elicit more public comment, and that it must think of ways to boost involvement in the future, possibly using more social media.
The 2016 fare increase will be lower than originally estimated because the agency has cut costs, including $5.7 million in savings that were announced in September, officials said.
Reduced fares for special users — such as senior citizens (65 or older), customers with disabilities and Medicare cardholders — were increased $1.25 on monthly fares and 75 cents on 10-ride fares. There’s no increase for special users for one-way fares.
Last year, Metra officials proposed a 10-year schedule of fare increases totaling 68 percent that were intended to cover the cost of a $2.4 billion plan to modernize the rail fleet and pay for the federally mandated safety system known as positive train control.
The first of these hikes, which averaged about 11 percent, went into effect in February.
The 2016 fare hike is intended to raise $6.5 million in new revenue. The money will go toward operating costs for the positive train control system and help fund the agency’s capital program to buy and refurbish equipment.
Metra plans to seek a consultant soon to help the agency evaluate its “complicated” fare structure, Oberman said. Unlike the CTA, which charges a flat fare for all rides, Metra’s fares are distance-based. Three other large commuter rail agencies, in the New York and Philadelphia areas, offer off-peak discounts, Metra spokesman Michael Gillis said.
As Metra’s board met Wednesday, several delays were reported on the BNSF Line, Metra’s busiest, due to equipment failure. Metra CEO Don Orseno said customers must understand that one breakdown can impact many trains.
Metra has the least amount of failures per mile of the major commuter rail agencies, with the oldest fleet of cars in the nation and running in the most complex rail hub in North America, Orseno said.
“We still have cars that are 63 years old, and we have locomotives that are past the rebuilding cycle,” he said.
Metra’s performance has been improving, officials said. In October, Metra posted an on-time performance rate of 97 percent, exceeding its 95 percent goal for the eighth consecutive month.
Orseno also announced that the test of weekend express trains on the Rock Island line was successful and would continue permanently. In addition, Metra is adding an outbound express train to the weekday schedule.
Twitter @richwronski
