The Chainlink

This is an insane hike!  As someone who works for a non-profit, this is an outrageous expense for me.  In winter months I find it unbearable to ride my bike to work, but it appears riding a bike is quickly becoming the more reasonable way to travel, despite comfort. 

Is it just me, or is Chicago becoming way too expensive to live comfortably in?  I just had to downsize to a studio because I could no longer afford my 1 bedroom. 

Ah, inflation....

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I bike 2-3 time a week to work spring - fall and rarely in the winter.  I've been getting the unlimited pass ride using pre-taxed funds from my paycheck each month, so even though I don't use it as much when it is warmer, it was close to being a wash on expenses when compared to paying per ride. 

With the cost of the unlimted pass going up, but not the cost per ride, I'm going to switch over to the Chicago Card Plus in the spring and have a lower amount taken out each month.  Like others suggested, the money will collect over the warm months, and I'll dip into it more in the cold ones. 

In the end, I will probably be spending less on public transit than I do now, and I'll have extra encouragement to bike more and stay healthy!  I hope this encourages more biking among others too.

I visited Toronto recently and used transit there on that visit and others.  For full comparison, their cash fare is $3.00 and a 1-day pass is $10.50.

Don said:

...Toronto is a good comparison - though their subway system isn't extensive, they have a really good network of trams.  And they still use tokens...


Tim S said:

Um... the new rates are in line with other major metropolitan cities.

Comparison
- NYC - 30-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCard -Cost: $104 / 7Day - $29
- Toronto - Monthly Metropass - $128.50 cdn / 7 Day - $37.50
- SF - Adult "A" Fast Pass®, $74.
- DC - 28-Day Fast Pass $230 / 7 Day - $57.50 (OUCH!!!)
- London - $81 gbp (129 usd)

We are in line with other major cities around the world... well except for DC.

Any way you slice it it is cheaper than car payment, gas, insurance, parking and maintenance.

My Wife and I visited Toronto this summer as well, and used nothing but their public transport. 'Riding the Rocket' is a very pleasant experience. It's much cleaner and nicer than the CTA, for sure. 

I think it's hard to compare rates. Ontario's minimum wage is also $10.50 an hour..what I like is that their day pass may be $10.50, but it includes 2 people, or 2 adults and their 4 children. If you price it per ride, that's an outrageous deal. But, tax structure is different in Canada, and they can probably swing it. 

Sorry Doug, Chicago is the Second city, although population wise, it's really 3rd, but our state is number 1 in its unfunded pension liability, so we have that going for us, at least.

Douglas Iverson said:

Bear in mind that the state of Illinois is the most corrupt state and Chicago is the third most corrupt city. C'mon Chicago. You can do better than that. You need to be the most corrupt city in the most corrupt state.

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just an fyi: on a Mac the "cents" sign is <OPTION> 4 

(the number for that shares the dollar sign $)

you might try ALT 4 on a Windows machine.

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Lisa Curcio said:

When I was under 12, the bus fare was 12.5 cents (Hey! where is the "cents" sign on my keyboard?!?)  We had to buy tokens.  ...
 

Their day pass is good for one person on weekdays.  On weekends and holidays, it covers 2 people or a family group.  Very nice deal.  The closest thing we have here is Metra's weekend pass, which allows unlimited rides for one adult with up to 3 children all weekend for $7.  

Jim S said:

My Wife and I visited Toronto this summer as well, and used nothing but their public transport. 'Riding the Rocket' is a very pleasant experience. It's much cleaner and nicer than the CTA, for sure....their day pass may be $10.50, but it includes 2 people, or 2 adults and their 4 children.

Gas prices should directly correlate to bus fares, so I think it makes sense for the rates to go up (I don't think it's the city is gouging people), but since public transit is the transportation method available to most lower income people, any rate hike is going to resemble a regressive tax. To offset that, we should raise taxes on drivers to make up the difference and keep fares low. I am all for making it more inconvenient and expensive for people to choose a transportation method that just doesn't make sense in an area as dense and urban as Chicago. In the end, in the mayor's words, it's your "choice" – you can drive or take the bus. But we can also drive revenue for the city and encourage people to make the right choice by hitting them at their wallet.

Megan, I plan to do the same thing! I did this over the past year and it worked out very well, but I just moved and my commute now is an additional 4.5 miles so I'd hesitated to continue and switched over to the monthly. With this fare hike though, it will be quite an adjustment come spring, but very worth it in my opinion! 

Megan Backes said:

I bike 2-3 time a week to work spring - fall and rarely in the winter.  I've been getting the unlimited pass ride using pre-taxed funds from my paycheck each month, so even though I don't use it as much when it is warmer, it was close to being a wash on expenses when compared to paying per ride. 

With the cost of the unlimted pass going up, but not the cost per ride, I'm going to switch over to the Chicago Card Plus in the spring and have a lower amount taken out each month.  Like others suggested, the money will collect over the warm months, and I'll dip into it more in the cold ones. 

In the end, I will probably be spending less on public transit than I do now, and I'll have extra encouragement to bike more and stay healthy!  I hope this encourages more biking among others too.

Jaysus. I take CTA as little as possible. Thanks to (apparently) global warming, there seem to be less than 60 commutes a year I can't take via bicycle.  $270/year, + as many down-town and across-town rides, I probably spend $500.  Or 2 mos worth of (crappy) car payments. Add in maybe $300/year in bike maintenance.  Come one. 

I know what you mean about distance, Kate.  My commute by bike is 9 miles, and I'm walking distance to the CTA, which is why I only bike a few days a week and in nicer weather, but changing to a pay-per-ride pass will motivate me to bike a little more.
 
Kate said:

Megan, I plan to do the same thing! I did this over the past year and it worked out very well, but I just moved and my commute now is an additional 4.5 miles so I'd hesitated to continue and switched over to the monthly. With this fare hike though, it will be quite an adjustment come spring, but very worth it in my opinion! 

Megan Backes said:

I bike 2-3 time a week to work spring - fall and rarely in the winter.  I've been getting the unlimited pass ride using pre-taxed funds from my paycheck each month, so even though I don't use it as much when it is warmer, it was close to being a wash on expenses when compared to paying per ride. 

With the cost of the unlimted pass going up, but not the cost per ride, I'm going to switch over to the Chicago Card Plus in the spring and have a lower amount taken out each month.  Like others suggested, the money will collect over the warm months, and I'll dip into it more in the cold ones. 

In the end, I will probably be spending less on public transit than I do now, and I'll have extra encouragement to bike more and stay healthy!  I hope this encourages more biking among others too.

Here's the official email from CTA:

Dear Chicago Card Plus Customer:

We want to briefly share with you some information about CTA’s upcoming fare changes and how they will impact you.

Effective January 14, 2013, CTA fares will change.  Please visit www.transitchicago.com/assets/1/media_relations_documents/Pass_Incr... to learn more about the new fare structure.

If you use your Chicago Care Plus as a pay-per-use customer, there will not be any changes to your fare.

If your Chicago Card Plus is set up as an unlimited-use 30-day pass, CTA will honor the $86 pass price for those setting up a new pass prior to January 14, 2013. Effective January 14, 2013 all 30-day passes will be charged the new price of $100.  Please log into your account at www.chicago-card.com to view your pass information.

Yep. I switched my wife to a Chicago Card Plus w/ a pay-per-use plan. At least we don't have to run out to the grocery store to buy paper monthly passes any more. I wish I would have switched to the CCP sooner.

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