Due to steady declines in ticket sales through cash-only vending machines as more customers opt for credit card and mobile purchasing, Metra has announced that it will take the remaining cash-only machines out of service at 15 stations on the Metra Electric Line effective May 1. This will not result in any customers paying more for tickets.
“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,” said Metra Executive Director/CEO Don Orseno. “Purchases made through the cash-only vending machines have declined to the point where it is no longer cost efficient to maintain them.”
Between 2012 and 2016, sales at cash vending machines on the Metra Electric declined from 35.9 percent of overall ticket sales to 14.4 percent. The most significant contributor to this change in buying habits was the introduction of the Ventra App in late 2015. Currently, the app accounts for 19.7 percent of tickets on the line, with purchases from credit card vending machines and onboard purchases also seeing slight increases.
Metra estimates that phasing out the cash vending machines will reduce operating expenses by $534,000 annually. This figure includes the costs of maintaining, servicing and stocking the machines. The Electric Line is the only Metra line where cash vending machines are used.
The cash-only machines will be removed from service at 15 stations, including Millennium Station, on April 30. 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. However, the one exception to this rule is for outbound passengers departing from Millennium or Van Buren stations. Passengers departing from these stations will be required to purchase their tickets before boarding, or they will be assessed a $5 penalty for purchasing their tickets on board. This is an existing policy that already applies to customers boarding at those two stations and at all stations with ticket agents on the Metra system.
