Free service will once again be provided for New Year’s Eve celebrators through a sponsorship with Miller Lite
CTA is partnering again with Miller Lite to offer the New Year’s Eve Free Rides on trains and buses to customers from 10 p.m., December 31, until 4 a.m. on January 1. Anyone out celebrating the end of 2024 and the start of 2025 can take advantage of this safe and free travel option thanks to the CTA/Miller Lite Free Rides program.
“This is another year in which we are glad to have the opportunity to offer free rides to our customers as they welcome in the New Year,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “We are grateful to our partners Miller Lite for helping us again to provide free rides, ensuring that Chicago residents can choose a safe and reliable transportation option.”
During the free-ride period, customers will not need to tap their Ventra Cards or personal contactless bankcards, phones, or watches at rail station turnstiles or while boarding buses. Signs will be posted reminding customers of the free ride period. However, 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 using contactless bankcards, including bankcards on phones and watches to tap directly at the Ventra readers. 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).
Riders can also purchase unlimited ride passes (1-day is $5 and 3-day is $15) or add value to their Ventra cards for pay-per-ride in advance via the Ventra app, at rail station Ventra vending machines, online or at over 670 local retailers - for locations visit ventrachicago.com.
As part of the sponsorship, Miller Lite covers the cost of all rides taken and helps offset the operating costs to run CTA service during the hours the promotion is offered.
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