CTA’s ‘First Day, Free Rides’ Available on Monday

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CTA’s ‘First Day, Free Rides’ Available on Monday (Chicago, IL) — The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) reminds and encourages all area guardians and students to take part in the popular back-to-school tradition of “First Day, Free Rides” which will be offered on Monday, August 22 – the first day of school for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and other area schools.

All area students (grades K-12) can travel CTA buses and trains for FREE, along with an accompanying adult, courtesy of this year’s sponsor Butcher Boy Cooking Oils.

In 2021, the CTA’s back-to-school program provided nearly 49,000 free rides to students and their parents or guardians. Since the program’s debut in 2011, more than 1.1 million free rides have been provided for Chicago area students. The “First Day, Free Rides” program is a highly regarded back-to-school tradition for Chicago students.

For students and parents traveling to school outside the CTA service region, free rides also will be provided via the Metra commuter rail and Pace bus transit systems on Monday (8/22) between the hours of 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. This year marks the first time all three regional transit systems are offering free rides on the first day of school.

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During the remainder of the academic school year, students can take advantage of CTA’s 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/

CTA’s ‘First Day, Free Rides’ Available on Monday

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