The Chicago Transit Authority’s transition to a new fare structure — including the authority’s first fare hike since 1991 — seemed to go smoothly when it took effect Jan. 1, according to a CTA spokeswoman.

CTA’s base fare increased from $1.50 to $1.75, while the price of transfers decreased by a nickel to 25 cents. The price of multiday passes remains unchanged.

“We have not had complaints at all,” said CTA spokeswoman Sheila Gregory.

Riders said the change didn’t seem to cause any delays.

“Sometimes, you’ll put in $1.50, and they’ll just remind you it’s an extra quarter,” said Evanston resident Richard Coleman.

One aim of the new fare structure is to encourage riders to consider payment options other than cash or Transit Cards, Gregory said.

Those options include CTA’s touch-pass Chicago Card and the soon-to-be-released Chicago Card Plus, which will allow riders to link the card to a major credit card. Those cards still will offer riders a $1 bonus for every $10 they add to the cards — a feature that no longer will be offered on Transit Cards.

But the new fares also might cause some riders to avoid CTA.

Evanston resident Betty Jean Wise said she now tries to use suburban Pace bus routes where they overlap with CTA routes. Wise said several of her neighbors are doing likewise.

“Pace’s base fare is still $1.50, CTA is $1.75,” Wise said. “You do the math.”

The future of the Pace bus system was the focus of the Jan. 8 meeting of citizens group Evanston’s Transportation Future. The group promotes the use and development of public transportation.

Pace representatives told the group about the progress of the North Shore Study, which will re-evaluate and recommend changes to Pace’s routes.

One of the next steps in the study will be to form a technical advisory committee to provide feedback as the study progresses, said Thomas Wittmann, a transportation planner for Perteet Engineering, the consulting firm conducting the study.

The committee, which is slated to meet for the first time next month, will include municipal officials and citizens from North Shore communities including Evanston, Wilmette and Skokie.

David Jennings, Evanston’s director of public works, said the study seems like “more of a Pace study than a transit study.”

Many residents said they had hoped for a broader study of public transit in the area, including CTA and Metra service.

Pace officials assured residents that they would cooperate and share data from the current study as well as previous studies with CTA.

Planners hope to begin holding public workshops on the study by late March or early April, Wittmann said.

The study is scheduled to be completed by August, when the results will be presented to the Pace Board of Directors.

But Pace section manager Judith Kulm said it would probably be at least three to six additional months before any changes would go into effect.