Both Chicago Transit Authority and Metra will offer passengers free rides on New Year's Eve.
For "safe and reliable" travel, customers can board CTA busses and trains to make use of the deal from 10 p.m. Saturday until 4 a.m. Sunday, the agency announced.
CTA noted travelers will not need to touch their Ventra or bankcards at rail station turnstiles or while boarding buses during the free-ride period.
For those who end up taking CTA transportation outside of the allotted timeframe for free rides, the CTA recommends buying tickets in advance to decrease travel times and avoid long lines at rail stations.
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All CTA bus and rail services will run on normal Saturday and Sunday schedules.
Metra said it will provide free travel on all trains arriving at or departing from its downtown stations after 6 p.m. Saturday.
“Metra is there to provide a safe, convenient and reliable mode of transportation for everyone who wants to celebrate and needs to travel on this holiday night,” Metra CEO and Executive Director Jim Derwinski said in a statement.
The commuter rail system will operate on a Saturday schedule on New Year's Eve, but it will hold the last outbound trains on the lines that are operating until at least 1:15 a.m. Sunday. Alcohol will be prohibited on all trains after 7 p.m., Metra added.
"Family Fairs," a promotion which allows up to three children to ride for free with each paying adult on the weekends, will be available until Saturday.
