Metra says it will no longer sell Monthly Passes and 10-Ride Tickets from certain vending machines after seeing a spike in purchases made with stolen credit cards.
The company says Wednesday that customers can no longer buy the passes from 15 non-downtown stations. The affected stations have no ticket agents, but instead dispense tickets through vending machines. Metra says that has contributed to a surge in fraudulent ticket purchases over the past few months.
Metra CEO Jim Derwinski apologizes for any inconvenience but says the move will make the stations safer because it removes one of the reasons "why criminals come to our stations." He adds the fraudulent ticket sales have also been a financial blow to the company.
Metra is in the process of finding new vending machines with more modern security features.
