CTA monthly passes go from $86 to $100

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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Permalink Reply by Lanterne Rouge on November 28, 2012 at 7:05am

I definitely feel for you. My wife is a full time CTA rider, and we're now trying to do the math on the 30 day pass versus anything else. At the old $86 rate, we were just about breaking even on rides and cost (she rides twice a day, and sometimes 3 or 4, depending on week.)

It appears that with the cost increase, you'd need to make about 6 more rides a month to enjoy the same value you did before. Now, I'll be getting her a Chicago Card Plus that allows us to pay per ride, as it's 'cheaper' and a better value. 

[OT ON]And, to answer your question about Chicago and its cost of living - it all depends. If you want to live in a nice neighborhood that's somewhat close to public transit and downtown, yes ...it's getting expensive. 

However, there are still some off-the-radar neighborhoods that are fairly cheap. [OT OFF]

Permalink Reply by Carrie on November 28, 2012 at 7:38am

Well this is the problem.  I haven't even had a cost of living raise in 3 years so every time something like this happens its as though I get a pay cut.  I love my job but I don't know that I can afford to work at a non-profit anymore.  Our model is  half fee-for-service, half contributed income so we look to the fee for service portion of the company to get us more business and raise salaries.  But we work with the Chicago Public Schools for that income and they're experiencing the financial noose too, just like we are.  It's looking grim on all fronts. 

Anyone in need of a program evaluator?  Only half kidding. ;-)

h' said:

What does your non-profit do when expenses rise but income is finite and it's legally forbidden from running a budget deficit?

Permalink Reply by MagMileMarauder on November 28, 2012 at 8:07am

Let's do some math so you can continue paying $86

86 / 2.25 (price per ride, no increase on that) =  ~38 rides. Assuming 2 rides per day, that's 19 days of CTA per month.

A month has usually 20-23 work days, so that's 1 to 4 days of only biking and no CTA.

Of course, I don't know how often you use the CTA on a given day, but that's how I "fight" the increase, if I relied on CTA.



Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on November 28, 2012 at 10:42am

It is pretty astonishing that the CTA would stick it to their most loyal customers - presumably those who use a monthly pass are the riders who ride the most. 

Permalink Reply by Holly on November 28, 2012 at 10:58am

I'm sure you've all read or heard what the Mayor had to say about the fare hike. "You can either drive to work or you can take public transportation,...

Permalink Reply by Carrie on November 28, 2012 at 11:35am

 Why doesn't he suggest the good ole foot to pavement or the bike? 

Holly said:

I'm sure you've all read or heard what the Mayor had to say about the fare hike. "You can either drive to work or you can take public transportation,...

Permalink Reply by S on November 28, 2012 at 11:38am

I think Chicago is still pretty inexpensive relative to other comparable cities.  Just looking at rents, NYC or San Fran both have much higher rents for smaller spaces.  In terms of living expenses, I'd say Chicago is about on par with other comparable city.  I'd say the problem isn't living expenses being too high as much as it is, wages stagnating over the last decade or so.

Permalink Reply by Will on November 28, 2012 at 11:55am

Oh, I get it. Because all those poor people who take the CTA might otherwise drive their luxury cars to their minimum wage jobs.


h' said:

I'm no fan of Emmanuel but the point that he's trying to make, in Daley-esque elegance, is that CTA is still the more attractive option. 

Holly said:

I'm sure you've all read or heard what the Mayor had to say about the fare hike. "You can either drive to work or you can take public transportation,...

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on November 28, 2012 at 3:42pm

Speaking from experience, sarcasm never shows up properly in a written transcript, and in extreme examples, can even appear to be in direct opposition to what the verbal statement attempted to communicate.

h' said:

Because his intent is not to seriously promote driving but to make a coy remark to the effect that the people affected by the fare hike by and large will still find CTA to be the best option.

Carrie said:

 Why doesn't he suggest the good ole foot to pavement or the bike? 

Holly said:

I'm sure you've all read or heard what the Mayor had to say about the fare hike. "You can either drive to work or you can take public transportation,...

Permalink Reply by Bob on November 28, 2012 at 5:34pm

maybe we can carpool with Rahm and share the gas expenses,,,and have a driver on top of it!

Permalink Reply by We all have an inner Beast... on November 28, 2012 at 5:47pm

My family and I rarely use the CTA any more. We used it quite a bit right after they totaled our car 2 yrs ago...(waiting for the lawyers to hack things out). It made us reconsider how many unnecessary trips we were making. (even though we did sometimes just go out to sight see).

We are inconvenienced now because we want to go out to the woods for hikes and such, but the CTA doesn't go out to these places (Maple Lake, Swallow Cliff, etc) or it takes us 2 hours to get there (Kedzie & Archer to Red Line, Red line to Addison or Irving Park, Addison or Irving Park to Cumberland-Shiller Woods), and going by bike with a 9 yr old (that just learned to ride again - this time on a 20") isn't very practical.

Too many people waiting longer for the fewer buses out on the routes we use most frequently.

We can walk from Kedzie to Pulaski (on Archer) before we see a bus going towards Midway, so our interaction is minimal nowadays.

And so far, I have been riding my bike to and from work since May (i think), maybe earlier, i have not used the CTA since.

The "Fun Pass" was a very affordable item. We buy the pass, go where we need to go, and come back home, all for just under $6.

Now we will be expected to pay $10 for the same crappy service? Not to mention the shitty and un-friendly "customer service" from the bus drivers? If they are so miserable at their $20/hr plus jobs...maybe they need to quit and find something that they can be happy at.

1zt7hr8qm0y90Permalink Reply by 1zt7hr8qm0y90 on November 28, 2012 at 6:48pm
All the more reason to ride a bike.

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