Fare information

Fare chart

effective January 2018

BASE/REGULAR FARES (as deducted from transit value in a Ventra transit account)	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)	.25	.15	.15
PASSES (load onto Ventra transit account)	Full	Reduced
1-Day CTA Pass	$10
3-Day CTA Pass	20
7-Day CTA Pass	28
7-Day CTA/Pace Pass	33
30-Day CTA/Pace Pass	105	$50 **
OTHER FARES	Full	Reduced	Student
'L' train fare from O'Hare Deducted on entry at O'Hare station, only.	$5	$1.10	$.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
Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) Fare applies if using personal contactless bankcard directly at reader when boarding buses or trains, if you haven't first added sufficient Ventra Transit Value or pass to card at vending machines.	2.50*	1.25
Metra Link-up Pass Valid weekdays on CTA (6:00am-9:30am & 3:30pm-7:00pm) and on Pace (any time). Pass sold by Metra, use with Metra Monthly Ticket.	55
128 Soldier Field Express Round-trip fare.	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-Ride 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-Ride 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
CTA 1-Day Ventra Ticket	10	buy at any Ventra Vending Machine
CTA 3-Day Ventra Ticket	20	buy at Ventra Vending Machines at O'Hare & Midway

Footnotes
* Applies at all train stations except O’Hare (where a premium fare applies)
** Available only to riders with RTA-issued Reduced Fare permits

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 nearly 1,300 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 Ventra Cards can be purchased from vending machines at all 'L' stations and at nearly 1,300 retail locations (including drugstores, currency exchanges and more). They can also be ordered online or by phone.

Using personal, contactless bankcards

Ventra can accept any bank-issued card in your wallet with the symbol to pay fare. You can pay a PAYG fare or visit a vending machine to load value and passes.

See the Ventra website for more information on how to pay fare with Ventra.

Android Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay

Android & Apple Pay Ventra readers can accept contactless payments directly from mobile devices, too! You can pay a PAYG fare by touching your phone with Android Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay to any Ventra reader. Learn more about how it works.

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.