Park Ridge and Niles residents who receive federal food assistance will pay roughly half price on Pace and CTA rides starting Oct. 1 under an expanded reduced-fare program.

The Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) Board of Directors voted unanimously Sept. 10 to extend the Access program to CTA and Pace, the Journal & Topics first reported. The program had been limited to Metra since its February 2024 launch.

Riders enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) who obtain an Access permit will pay $1 per trip on Pace buses, $1.10 on CTA buses and $1.25 on CTA "L" trains. Regular fares are $2, $2.25 and $2.50, respectively. A 30-day CTA/Pace pass will cost $35, down from $75.

Two Pace routes serve the area directly. Route 241 connects Park Ridge, the Park Ridge Metra station, Maine South High School, Niles and Golf Mill Mall. Route 290 runs along Touhy Avenue through both communities, linking the CTA Howard station to the CTA Cumberland Blue Line station.

NITA estimates about 15% of CTA riders and 20% of Pace riders receive SNAP benefits and could qualify, representing more than 127,000 daily riders regionwide. About 9,000 people already hold Access permits for Metra. They will not need to re-enroll. NITA said it will mail existing permit holders new cards that work on CTA and Pace.

The Sept. 10 meeting was NITA's first since the authority replaced the Regional Transportation Authority on Sept. 1. The board elected Tom Kotarac, senior vice president of transportation and infrastructure at the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, as its chair.

"By making Access available across CTA, Metra and Pace, we're turning a successful pilot into a regional benefit and making transit more affordable for riders who need it most," Kotarac said at the meeting, according to Metro Magazine.

The board also named Jamie Rhee, Chicago's former aviation department commissioner, as interim executive director on a 19-1 vote, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. More than 350,000 rides have been taken through Access since its launch, with most on Metra lines serving Chicago's South Side and southern Cook County.

NITA officials told Fox 32 Chicago that riders who commute five days a week could save up to $650 a year. Access permits are valid for four years and will remain in effect even if federal SNAP regulations change during that period.

The expanded program is funded through new revenue from the NITA Act, which created the 20-member regional transit oversight board. The original Metra pilot was largely funded by Cook County.

Residents can apply for an Access permit at getaccess.org, by phone or in person. The NITA Board is next scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. Oct. 15.