No Transers on the CTA Buses???

[JBVirtuoso]

Originally Posted by Thepreacherswife

This. Not to mention you can't even take a train to LaGuardia - you have to connect on the dreaded M60 bus.

I think this is a precursor to what will eventually be distance-based pricing on CTA trains.

Oh Lord, the M60 bus. What a wonderful welcome to New York City. Compared with that, our $5 blue line fare is a red carpet entrance into the city.

[key4lp]

Originally Posted by Drover

But not everyone goes downtown. What sense does it make to charge $5 to go from the airport to Cumberland, but then charge $2.25 to go from Rosemont clear downtown and back out to Forest Park? And why are they working on an exemption for airport employees? If a trip is worth $5 for travelers, then it's worth $5 for everyone else. It's just another way to rip off tourists (though it doesn't hit just them), and it does so in a very visible way that shouts "welcome, sucker!" the minute they get off the plane.

Correct, it doesn't just hurt tourists but working people too. Sure other cities are doing the same
but it doesn't mean Chicago should. Last year I read an article that more or less said Chicago is
at the top of the list as being an expensive place to visit. The article mentioned that Chicago
is not getting as many conventions as they did in the past due to high costs. The example was
regarding McCormick Place. The powers to be were charging $200.00 for a case of coke.
Along with the transfer fees and costs with the CTA, there is also the meter fees. Isn't it 6 to 4
dollars an hour? If you want to go to a certain neighborhood to buy a few things (ex. ethnic)
the high meter rates hurt businesses. Last year I went to Edison Park and was taken back.
You couldn't park anywhere and if you did it cost 2+ an hour. Now, this is a residential area
with some local shops on NW Highway.

[Vlajos]

I was in SF recently. I had to pay $10/person or something to get to the airport on the train from Noe Valley.

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by eevee

Meh, I'm ambivalent to the extra surcharge from O'Hare. $5 for a train ride that takes you directly from the airport to downtown and beyond isn't that bad. Just came back from Boston where there is no direct train route from Logan. You either have to take a shuttle bus to the blue line or the Silver line downtown. These are free, but there's the extra added hassle (transfers, waiting outside in the cold, traffic, etc). It costs about $7 to take the shuttle bus from LAX into Los Angeles. I can't quite remember how much I paid to take the train in from the airport to the train station when I went to Philly, but I'm about 99% sure that it was more than $2.25. And I'm also pretty sure train access to and from both JFK and LaGuardia isn't that great either.

It's not great, but considering that the alternative is a pricey cab ride and possible traffic, I'll deal with the surcharge (especially after the mess I dealt with flying into Midway a couple of days ago). Nothing beats the <5 minute walk from baggage claim to the CTA.

You mean, you don't like Boston's Silver Line? (Phony outrage!)

But thanks, all, for the information about the fare hike. It does seem like a light smack in the face for a simple ride downtown, but this is just another "user fee" to raise revenue---same old story, different city..