Offer good for all the region’s elementary and high school students on that date
Elementary and high school students from across the region will also be able to ride the CTA, Metra, and Pace for free on Monday, August 26, the first day of school for Chicago Public Schools and many suburban schools.
This is the third year in a row that Metra and Pace are offering free rides to students on the first day of classes. The CTA has traditionally offered free rides for elementary and high school students on the first day of public school in Chicago. On all three transit services, K-12 students attending any public or private school, as well as an accompanying adult, can ride buses and trains for free from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on August 26.
“We are excited to be able to continue this special back-to-school tradition for Chicagoland students,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “An affordable and convenient ride on the first day can help set the course for a successful school year.”
“We are pleased to be able to help families start the academic year on a positive note by offering free rides for students using Metra to get to class,” said Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski.
"The start of school sets the tone for the entire year, and Pace is making sure all students throughout the region can begin the new year on a positive note,” said Pace Executive Director Melinda Metzger. “Free rides for the start of school year is a small step toward supporting our students’ success in the year to come, helping foster independence and lifelong transit use in the process.”
CTA has provided Chicagoland students with reduced fares throughout the school year for many years. For the entire academic school year, students can take advantage of discounted fares of 75 cents on school days, between 5:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. Beyond school hours, elementary students, ages 7-11, are eligible for reduced fares of $1.10 for a bus ride and $1.25 for a train ride. Students who are age 12 and older will continue to pay the full fare of $2.25 on buses and $2.50 on trains. Children ages 6 and younger ride free with a fare-paying customer. For more information about Student Reduced Fare, please visit: www.transitchicago.com/students/
In addition to this special offer for the first day of classes, full-time students enrolled in grade school or high school can purchase reduced fare tickets for all travel. When using a reduced fare ticket, students must present a valid school ID or valid letter of certification from their school on school stationery (both are valid through the end of the calendar year) bearing the student’s name, school name and authorized signature. Children aged 7-11 are also eligible for reduced fares, and children 7 or under ride free with a fare-paying adult. For more information, go to metra.com/fares.
Fares will be waived on Pace bus, On Demand, and ADA paratransit services for all Chicago and suburban elementary and high school students, as well as an accompanying adult, on August 26. On other days, students can take advantage of discounted fares by buying the Pace 30-Day Reduced Fare Pass for $30 (unlimited rides all day, every day, regardless of trip purpose and without school-hour restrictions, for 30 days), paying with transit value on their Student Ventra Card for a reduced fare of $1.00, with free transfers, paying $1.10 in cash (using exact change) after presenting a student ID, or paying a surcharge of $1.10 using Ventra transit value when using the 30-Day Reduced Fare Pass on Pace Premium routes. Please note that transfers are not available when paying fares with cash. For more information, go to www.pacebus.com/student-fare-information.
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About CTA
The CTA operates one of the nation's largest public transportation systems and covers the City of Chicago and 35 surrounding suburbs. CTA has been providing more than 1 million weekday rides on average this year.
About Metra
Metra is an essential resource that safely and reliably connects individuals to the things that matter most in their lives — their work, their homes and their families.
About Pace
Pace Suburban Bus safely and efficiently moves people to work, school, and other regional destinations with its family of public transportation services. Pace offers affordable and environmentally responsible transit options for the residents of 274 municipalities in Cook, Will, DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties. The backbone of Chicago's suburbs, Pace serves tens of thousands of daily riders. One of the largest bus services in North America, Pace covers 3,677 square miles, an area nearly the size of the state of Connecticut and about 15 times the size of the City of Chicago. Pace's innovative approach to public transportation gives the agency a national reputation as an industry leader.
