I Think They Should Try It

Too lazy to do the math for Chicago, but I do wish my local transit authority would at least do a temporary experiment with the monthly passes to see if a drastic fare reduction would actually lead to soaring sales.

A bold experiment that past CTA administrations have shied away from would involve significantly reducing the price of the CTA 30-day pass. Proponents of the idea argue that pass sales would soar and ridership increase, including during off-peak hours when buses and trains are already operating with plenty of empty seats. Off-peak CTA ridership this year has increased more than 3 percent, even without the additional incentive.

Right now they're priced so that they really only make financial sense for daily commuters.