THE LOOP — The CTA will test out a new pre-pay program designed to speed up bus boarding during rush periods, city officials announced Wednesday.
Starting next Monday, passengers at the westbound Loop Link station at Madison and Dearborn Streets will be able to touch their Ventra card to a "special Ventra fare reader" at the bus stop, according to the announcement.
The goal of the pilot program is to "to get people onto buses and to their destinations more quickly — very similar to how CTA customers pay ahead before boarding the 'L,'" officials said.
More than 2,300 passengers board buses at the Madison and Dearborn Station every day, and the boarding process can take as long as four minutes for each bus, slowing service along the entire route, according to the CTA.
The city is already testing a similar pre-pay program for buses at the Belmont Blue Line station in Avondale, according to the announcement.
"Both pilots will help provide the CTA with valuable feedback on prepaid boarding, which the CTA will look to expand pending the results of each pilot," officials said.
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