Fare information

Fare chart

effective February 20, 2023

REGULAR FARES (as deducted from a Ventra Transit Account or paid via Pay-as-you-go^† direct contactless payment)	Full	Reduced	Student
'L' train fare	$2.50 *	$1.25	$.75
Bus fare	2.25	1.10	.75
Transfer^‡ Up to 2 additional rides within 2 hrs	Free	Free	Free
PASSES Unlimited rides for a period of time from first use. 1-Day = 24 hrs, etc. Valid on CTA and Pace. (load onto Ventra account)	Full	Reduced
1-Day CTA/Pace Pass	$5
3-Day CTA/Pace Pass	15
7-Day CTA/Pace Pass	20
30-Day CTA/Pace Pass	75	$35 **
OTHER FARES	Full	Reduced	Student
'L' train fare from O'Hare Deducted on entry at O'Hare station, only, from Ventra transit account using Ventra Card or via contactless Pay-As-You-Go payment methods. Tip: Use an unlimited pass to board at O'Hare for no additional charge.	$5	$1.25	$.75
Bus fare with cash on bus Fare applies if using cash/coins directly at farebox when boarding. (Transfers are not available.)	2.50	1.25	.75
Regional Connect Pass Valid on CTA and Pace at all times. Pass sold by Metra or on the Ventra App to use with Metra Monthly Ticket. This new pass replaces Metra Link-up and Pace PlusBus.	30
128 Soldier Field Express Round-trip fare. Passes are accepted.	5 (dollar bills/ coins or Ventra)	2.50 (dollar bills/ coins or Ventra)

NEW CARDS & DISPOSABLE TICKETS
New Ventra Card	$5	load value/passes with cash or card buy at any Ventra Vending Machine, online, by phone, at retail locations fee returned as transit value if registered within 90 days of purchase
CTA Single-trip Ventra Ticket*	3	good for up to 3 rides within 2 hours of use buy at any Ventra Vending Machine, except at O'Hare
CTA Single-trip Ventra Ticket at O'Hare	5	good for up to 3 rides within 2 hours of use buy at any Ventra Vending Machine at O'Hare
1-Day Ventra Ticket	5	buy at any Ventra Vending Machine
3-Day Ventra Ticket	15	buy at Ventra Vending Machines at O'Hare & Midway

* Applies at all train stations except O’Hare (where a premium fare applies)
** Available only to riders with RTA-issued Reduced Fare permits
† Pay-as-you-go, direct contactless payments can be used to pay only for Full and Reduced fares
‡ Full fare transfer to CTA from Pace buses 25¢, 15¢ Reduced/Student

Ways to pay

Cash

Cash can be used directly on buses and can be used at all Ventra vending machines to add value or passes to Ventra Cards or to buy disposable Ventra Tickets. You can also use cash to load value or passes at more than 1,000 Ventra retailers. See the above chart for fare information.

Ventra Tickets

You can buy disposable paper Single-Ride and 1-Day tickets at vending machines (located in every 'L' station). See the above chart for fare information.

Ventra Cards

Ventra Cards are used with transit value and passes for regular fares and transfers. Fare you load to your Ventra Card's transit account can be seen and managed at vending machines, online, in the Ventra app and by phone.

New, plastic Ventra Cards can be purchased from vending machines at all 'L' stations and at more than 1,000 retail locations (including drugstores, currency exchanges and more). They can also be ordered online or by phone.

NEW: Ventra Card on Android, iPhone or Apple Watch

A Google Pixel 5 with a Ventra Card on screen, as the device looks after tapping to pay with Ventra at a reader on CTA Ventra Cards can also be added to an Android device with Google Pay or iPhone or Apple Watch. Download the Ventra app to load an existing Ventra Card you have or add a new one to your device.

Adding a Ventra Card to Apple Pay
Including iPhone and Apple Watch
Adding a Ventra Card to Google Pay
Android phones such as Google Pixel, Samsung, Motorola, LG, etc.

Mobile Pay apps (Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.) & contactless bankcards

Pay apps or contactless bankcards Ventra readers can accept contactless payments directly from mobile devices, too! You can pay a contactless Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) fare by touching your phone with Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay—or any contactless bankcard with the contactless wave symbol—to any Ventra reader.

Learn more about how contactless payments work with Ventra. (Opens in a new window)

Avoid "card clash"

Whenever you pay, take out and touch only your desired payment method (card, ticket, mobile device, etc.) to the Ventra fare reader.

Ventra readers can accept payments from many different card/payment types. Taking your card out makes sure that the payment method you intended to use covers every part of your trip.

(Tip: Never attach any cards that might be used for payment to your phone to then touch your phone when you board, such as bankcards with the contactless symbol, or Ventra Cards or Tickets from a vending machine. Many phones have features that let you pay using the phone’s built-in wallet/Pay app.)

Get the Ventra app!

The Ventra app lets you check your Ventra Card's balance, add value or passes, get arrival/departure times and account alerts in a quick and easy-to-use app. You can even use the fare value from your Ventra transit accounts to buy mobile tickets for riding Metra trains right in the app.

Download the app today!

How to ride with a pass

You can get unlimited ride passes, which are good for unlimited rides for one person, anywhere fare is sold.

Any pass can be loaded into a Ventra Card's transit account. You can even load multiple passes, so you have a new one ready to go when one you're using runs out.

Some passes (such as a 1-Day CTA Pass) are sold at Ventra Vending Machines in the form of disposable Ventra tickets.

Places you can load passes into a Ventra Card's transit account include all Ventra Vending Machines, over the counter at hundreds of Ventra retail locations or online to your registered Ventra Card (using the Ventra website or the free Ventra app). If you don't have a Ventra Card, you can buy one from any Ventra Vending Machine or retail location, as well.