Metra's Got A (Free) Ticket To Ride
By Chuck Sudo in News on Mar 1, 2013 5:45PM
Metra has a unique promotion to encourage ridership: They're giving away two free tickets to any destination in their rail network to 500 people a week for the next three-plus months. That's 140,000 tickets valid for 90 days.
From Metra's website:
On the train, frustrating hours you once spent in traffic are replaced with relaxing time getting work done, answering e-mails, texting friends or reading. You also save an additional twelve hundred dollars a year that lost time and wasted gas used to cost you in traffic. Not to mention the costs of parking fees, tolls and wear and tear on your vehicle - and your quality of life.
One thing Metra failed to mention — you can legally enjoy a beer on their trains.
The promotion is aimed at making commutes to Chicago and other towns Metra serves free of stress, since the Chicago area routinely ranks as the worst commute in the country. Streetsblog Chicago's John Greenfield attended a press conference announcing the promotion Thursday where Metra Chairman Brad O'Halloran said the promotion's main focus is to educate people across the Chicago area that Metra is an ideal transit option.
"(M)any of our riders move away or change jobs. Many people are new to the Chicago area and may not know about Metra. Others need to be reminded that Metra may be an option. In fact, we believe that if more people tried Metra they would become regular customers.”
Hell, if it's free, it's for us. If you're interested in getting a free ticket to ride, click here and register.