I wish there was a combined day-weekend pass for METRA/CTA L/South Shore train system.

and I am a cash only man how do I buy a Ventra Pass with cash?

"Cash can be used directly on buses and can be used at all Ventra vending machines to add value or passes to Ventra Cards or to buy disposable Ventra Tickets. You can also use cash to load value or passes at more than 1,000 Ventra retailers."

Metra and CTA do have a combined monthly pass. Metra sells a weekend pass for $10 and CTA sells a three day pass for $15. One can buy both.

The South Shore is owned and operated by a completely separate agency in Indiana with their own app and ticketing. Fares for the Hegewisch station in Illinois match the Metra price scheme but the South Shore does not offer a weekend pass. Discounts are available for 10 and 25 ride passes (pass expires when rides are consumed or one year after purchase).

South Shore tickets can be purchased with cash on the train or from a ticket agent (if you can find one open). The vending machines are credit card only.

Regarding the point of "I wish there was a combined pass for Metra and the L"... yes. Full fare integration with Metra has been a hurdle that RTA hasn't quite been able to figure out yet, even with Ventra theoretically providing a common payment platform. It's a problem a lot of commuter rail agencies face (Boston being similar, though their fare system is even less integrated than Chicago's) and it's a real issue! It hurts the customer experience and disincentivizes multimodal transit trips. I really think it ought to be a higher priority to get it solved.

Philadelphia has the same situation. It appears that the only way out of it is to restructure the whole fare system to resemble the Verkehrsverbund practice in Germany, in which the entire service area is grouped into zones, with the fare between any two zones being the same regardless of the mode(s) used by the passenger. SEPTA operates commuter trains, subways, trolleys, and bus routes, and can't seem to do it; I hate to think what would be involved with Metra, CTA, and PACE, (and South Shore?), although the Germans manage it with DB, Regional rail operators, and various municipal transit operators. It would take some doing but would be a lot easier on the public.

I think San Francisco, with perhaps the most complex situation, is also working on it.

ExCon90 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 16, 2022 11:44 pmI hate to think what would be involved with Metra, CTA, and PACE, (and South Shore?)

NICTD South Shore provides service to one Illinois community for Metra (Hegewisch) but otherwise all train service is between Chicago and Indiana ... outside of the Metra/CTA/Pace footprint.

If RTA does come up with a combined fare (any method same price) it will apply to Hegewisch to Chicago service but not in Indiana.

That's why I mentioned South Shore. PATCO has a similar situation within Philadelphia.

Well What I WANT is....To be able to buy a day pass for CTA/METRA/PACE thru the farebox using cash without having to use those damn VENTRA machines which either don't exist here in Riverdale or are broke most of the time.--- I also don't need to go on a Adventure looking for a corner store at 4:30 or a night thru the South Side. Most transit authorities now use magnetic strip fare cards that u tell the driver what kind of pass you need and out pops the right mag card.---
VRE and MARC have combo passes with WMATA DC Metro Subway.---I love cash hate debit cards and flashing a fancy cell phone in my hood makes me a target. My corner bar also takes cash only