Why is it so hard to buy a "All Day Pass" for the Subway and Metra in Chicago?

[Brooklyn Trolley Dodger]

  Unlike NY where (I think) you can buy a all day pass directly from the agent at the station....I had to trek 5 blocks from Millenium Station to the Marritiot Hotel to there gift shop which took 30 min off my railfaning time to buy a all day pass for the CTA.

Why?

[egmurphy]

  Unlike NY where (I think) you can buy a all day pass directly from the agent at the station....I

You can even buy a day pass on the NY subway from machines in the stations.  Don't even need to stand in line at a ticket booth.

They don't offer day passes down here in the Mexico City Metro.  But since the tickets are only $0.18 you don't really have to worry about it.

Regards

Ed

[Nataraj]

Yeah, I went to chicago in the winter, and that was a real pain. I went to 3 different currency exchanges looking for those passes. They should sell them in the machines in the stations. After I finally got a hold of a place that sold them, I got enough to last the rest of my stay....

[Brooklyn Trolley Dodger]

   All day passes are becoming standard and replacing transfer books on many rail and bus transit systems. heck you are paying 1.75 to go in and 1.75 to go out so charging 3-5 dollers is not that bad for all day.