Students from 48 Chicago, Ill. high schools will be receiving a combined school ID and Chicago transit reduced-fare card this year. The agreement is aimed at increasing transit use among students and cutting CTA’s administrative costs in the existing reduced-fare program and is expected to be expanded to all Chicago public high schools within 18 months.
The student’s smart card is similar to the CTA’s contactless ChicagoCard, which means faster boarding times. Users can add value to the card at CTA vending machines. The CTA expects to save $500,000 annually in administrative costs.