As a college student living miles away from one of the largest cities in the United States, you would think the commute or trips down and around town and wherever else I may need to travel to are a simple price, right? Well, that's not always the case. I come from Chicago, so our train lines are run by Metra. Metra has a rule where high school students and under can receive reduced fare tickets as long as they show a student ID when you're getting your tickets checked on the train. To me, this is an issue for multiple reasons because various factors may come in to play where it may be harder to always make a trip to the city or elsewhere within the different train lines. College students, I believe, should receive the reduced fare much like high school students and under receive. Why? Well, college students may not have a lot of money to spend and may just want to experience places and things they may never get to if they don't take the time or chances they get.
Specifically, college students may be so busy they do not even have time for a job, where they can earn some extra cash to save or spend. In high school, most people start working part-time jobs when they turn 15-16, so they are starting out early in life. In addition, we already get opportunities for free or cheap things like clothes, food, or even tickets to events on or off campus. For example, my school will offer reduced tickets to a Chicago Bulls game, which can usually be hundreds of dollars. I simply can argue that most people would kill to buy Bulls tickets for $30 or under!
For college students, we may want or even need to use the train more than high schoolers because we are more trustworthy, independent, and available to explore the world we live in. As an adult, we are given various opportunities to go out and explore, and, to me, reduced fare train tickets would really fulfill that need. I do not go to a school in the city, which is a disadvantage because Chicago universities and colleges typically get a CTA U-Pass to get around the city whenever they want, minus breaks. College students are notorious for having to balance a budget and any given financial situation they land in when they start, but college is supposed to be the best years of our lives, right? I think so.
Most of my times off-campus are spent in the city with friends and, as I get older, my wish is to hopefully live in a city as great as Chicago, but with the costs becoming an issue especially after you graduate high school, it may be difficult to experience some cheap thrills in one of my favorite cities. I understand that going to Chicago does not really save me money since there are so many things to explore and times to do different things, but I can't achieve that when tickets are at a higher price for someone who may need to save money more than a high school student would.
I believe that high school students should have the opportunity to have the reduced tickets because they are legally not adults, but if they are trusted enough to go down to Chicago with a group of friends and family, so be it. However, it's an issue for us college students because we are always on the go and may need to commute day-to-day to the city. The monthly Metra passes aren't exactly a great price either, sitting at about $200...a month. With the reduced fare, it is about $120. Obviously, high school students do not necessarily have to worry about commuting via Metra to school, however, some college students have to. At my school, we have the opportunity of taking a term in Chicago, where we either get the chance to live in the city for the same price as we would on-campus, or we commute via Metra with an additional fee. I get going to the city for school is different from living in a smaller city or part of your state, but if Metra tickets were reduced, college students would be able to take on these amazing opportunities, whether they are in or out of the classroom. So, next time you take the Metra, I would think twice about what day you go because, as of now, weekends tend to be cheaper since you can score an $8 pass to travel on whatever line you please. As for weekdays, you would be paying $12 in advance or possibly more if you buy on the train. Travel safely and efficiently, Metra commuters!
