Following steady declines in ticket sales through cash-only vending machines, Metra will take the remaining cash-only machines out of service at 15 stations on the Metra Electric Line. The Electric Line is the only Metra line where cash vending machines are used. Metra estimates that phasing out the cash vending machines will reduce operating expenses by USD 534,000 annually. This figure includes the costs of maintaining, servicing and stocking the machines.
The cash-only machines will be removed from service at 15 stations, including Millennium Station, on 30 April. Customers will still be able to purchase tickets at the same price from credit vending machines, the Ventra App and ticket agents at Millennium and Van Buren stations. In addition, customers on Chicago-bound trains without access to credit card or mobile purchasing options will be able to pay with cash on board without incurring the onboard purchase penalty.
“As our customers have embraced new technology available to purchase their tickets, we’ve continued to look for ways to use our limited resources as efficiently as possible. Purchases made through the cash-only vending machines have declined to the point where it is no longer cost efficient to maintain them,” said Metra Executive Director/CEO Don Orseno.
Share on:
