Because Dominick's and Jewel are selling by hand, not by machine. One day passes are also selling in every currency exchange all over Chicagoland.

Can anyone confirm ORD does sell the 3-day pass? If I understand correctly, they do NOT sell the 1-day pass, correct?

I haven't loooked for a machine lately, but the CTA website says you can buy 3-day and 7-day CTA and CTA/Pace passes there:

http://www.transitchicago.com/travel...ines.aspx#pass

I bought a 3-day CTA pass from the vending machine at ORD about a month ago, so yes, i assume they still do.

CTA day passes and Reduced Fare Transit Card Packs
 

Hi,

Great to read about these 3-day passes - we plan to buy them at Midway airport when we arrive. Does anyone know if Reduced Fare Transit Card Packs are available from these vending machines too? It looks like it will be cheaper to buy my kids a 2-pack for $15.30.

The CTA website only says

"Buy packs of pre-loaded reduced fare cards for qualifying riders. Add value at any farecard vending machine."

I recently tried to buy a 1-day pass at O'Hare. The agent explained that the machine could not handle it because it is not a rounded number ($6.00 or whatever it could be). So no they do not. (In my opinion, a huge mistake as there are many tourists who arrive @ ORD and spend the day touring before catching a later flight elsewhere---but it's Chicago---no one has been paid off enough to warrant fixing the machines).

Where's the location to buy these things at O'Hare and how much do they usually cost?

Flying into O'Hare on United.

It'd be in the Blue Line station which is adjacent Terminal 2 underground. Go to baggage claim in T1 and follow the signs for Hilton/CTA Trains. You'll go down an escalator/elevator and walk through a tunnel with broken moving sidewalks and and then take some working moving sidewalks to the train stop.

If you come in to T2 (United Express) then you'll be a shorter walk - just go to baggage claim there and follow the signs.

Vending machines don't dispense Reduced Fare cards; AFAIK, those are only available from agents (and that doesn't include "ticket booth" clerks, who are just there to scowl at you).

@bedesmond missed the part about passing the guy playing "Chicago, my kinda town" on his saxaphone. He'll be between the broken and functional moving sidewalks. :D

The CTA station is very easy to navigate, there is a manned booth as well as vending machines and then you go down a short escalator and the platforms are right there. ORD is the last stop on the Blue Line so you can't possibly go in the wrong direction.

http://www.transitchicago.com/assets...p_20090101.pdf says:

"REDUCED FARE TRANSIT CARD PACKS Buy at Currency
Exchanges, select Jewel and Dominick’s food stores, and at
transitchicago.com. Add value at station farecard machines."

Correct. The CTA used to sell 1 day passes from the same machine that now sells only 3 and 7 day passes. Apparently Mayor Daly's office requested that the 1 day option be removed so that visitors can get a true taste of Chicago and it's politics immidiately upon arrival. Welcome to Chicago!

In my opinion, those passes machine in ORD are rather useless, CTA should invest technology to sell day passes in transit card machine like DC Metro does.

It often breaks down or can only accept certain payment.

Does anyone know the closest place to the greyhound station that I can buy a 3 day pass?
Looking online it doesn't say you can get them at the Clinton station and I might have to walk to Union Station. Are there any stores selling them closer?
thanks.

The very end of this page shows places you can buy passes:

http://www.transitchicago.com/travel...ines.aspx#pass

The Union Station location is closest to the Greyhound station.

This page lists about a million retail locations that sell passes - a quick browse didn't immediately turn up anything closer than Union Station.

http://www.transitchicago.com/assets...ed_4-27-11.pdf