Pace has decided to extend its pilot employee-pass program to any employer who seeks it. Until now, the free one-week bus passes were available only to new employees of a few companies, such as United Airlines, Household International, the Signature Group and the Marriott hotels.
Board members took the action Wednesday during their monthly board meeting at Pace’s Arlington Heights headquarters.
Last year, during the early days of the experiment, Pace provided free monthly passes to new employees of the select companies. The board scaled the program back to one-week passes in January when it became apparent that many employees were using them on CTA buses and trains more frequently than on Pace buses.
Also Wednesday, the Pace board approved a new express-bus pass for $49 a month, a $6 savings over paying the $1.35 fare on a per-ride basis. The express pass is $10 more than one for regular routes.