Free service on the system will begin at 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve until 4 a.m. the following morning courtesy of sponsor Miller Lite
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will once again offer New Year’s Eve Free Rides for our customers. Free rides will be available on both CTA trains and buses from 10 p.m. on Saturday, December 31 until 4 a.m. Sunday, January 1. This is in partnership with the sponsor, Miller Lite who is allowing us to help Chicago residents celebrate New Year’s Eve in a safe and reliable way.
During the free-ride period, customers do not need to touch their Ventra or personal bankcards at rail station turnstiles or while boarding buses. Signs will be posted reminding customers of the free ride period on bus fareboxes. As in past years, no refunds will be issued if customers elect to touch their fare card or other form of payment on fare-card readers during the free-ride period.
For customers traveling to and from events around Chicago this New Year’s Eve outside the free ride period, the CTA recommends purchasing fares in advance, which will decrease travel times and avoid long lines at rail station vending machines. Customers can add our permanently discounted, unlimited ride passes (1-day is $5, 3-day is $15, and 7-day is $20) or add money to their Ventra cards for pay-per-ride via the following ways: free Ventra app, rail station Ventra vending machines, online or at nearly 1,300 local retailers - for locations visit ventrachicago.com.
Single-ride tickets are also available for purchase for $3 ($5 at O’Hare) at all Ventra vending machines. Single-ride tickets include up to two transfers in two hours.
Ventra allows riders to use Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay, or any contactless credit or debit card, for pay-as-you-go rides ($2.25 for bus, $2.50 for train). Ventra can also be used on the iPhone Apple Watch.
As part of the sponsorship, Miller Lite pays a fee that covers the cost of all rides taken and helps offset the operating costs to run CTA service during the hours in which the promotion is offered.
NOTE: All CTA bus and rail service will operate on a normal Sunday schedule on Sunday, January 1, when the New Year is a nationally observed holiday. CTA will run a Saturday schedule on Saturday, December 31st.
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