Metra tests preboarding fare checks in pilot program

Metra riders boarding trains downtown outside of rush hour can expect a departure from tradition this week.

Instead of showing their paper or smartphone tickets en route, Metra staff will be checking fares before passengers get on.

It’s the first phase of a pilot program to test new hand-held scanning devices and collect information for a future fare system integrating Metra, Pace and the Chicago Transit Authority.

Officials stressed the revised protocol will be tried out on selected, off-peak trips to avoid logjams as workers converge to travel home. It will be extended to rush-hour trains if “initial tests go smoothly.”

Before riders access platforms, they will be asked to activate their Ventra ticket or show their paper version before stepping aboard.

“A major goal of the pilot is to test the speed, functionality, and durability of new handheld devices to scan Ventra and paper tickets,” officials said.

The project should provide useful intel for the Northern Illinois Transit Authority, a board approved by the General Assembly in 2025 that replaces the Regional Transit Authority later this year. NITA will have more authority over the CTA, Metra and Pace, including a mandate to combine fare systems.

The new scanner technology will provide data on how many passengers are using paper tickets vs. Ventra, as well as facts about where and when people buy tickets.

Metra “conductors will still validate tickets, but they won’t have to wait for riders to launch their Ventra tickets, speeding collection. To further help with that process, during the pilot riders who do not have a ticket will be asked to purchase one before boarding,” officials explained.