All three of Chicago’s major transit agencies are offering free rides for students on the first day of school next week.
According to press releases, all elementary and high-school students will be able to ride Metra trains, Pace buses, and Chicago Transit Authority buses and trains for free on Monday, Aug. 21.
Officials say that any K-12 student at any public or private school in the city or suburbs, as well as any accompanying adult, can ride transit for free on Metra and Pace between 5:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday.
“We are pleased to be able to help families start the academic year on a positive note by offering free rides for students using Metra to get to class,” Metra CEO Jim Derwinski said in a statement.
The CTA will also offer free rides for students during school hours, according to the agency.
All three agencies say that the hope is to foster an appreciation for public transit in young people, establishing habits that will last for years.
“Encouraging young people to get on board fosters independence and lifelong transit use,” Pace Executive Director Melinda Metzger said.
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Outside of Monday’s free rides, Metra offers reduced fares for grade school and high school students throughout the school year. A valid school ID or letter of certification from the school are required to purchase the reduced fare cards, and that form of identification must be displayed along with the card to conductors while using the agency’s service, according to the Metra website.
Children under 7 can always ride Metra free with a fare-paying adult, and children between 7-and-11 years of age also qualify for reduced fares, according to officials.
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Students can also purchase Pace 30-day reduced fare passes for $30. Those passes offer unlimited rides, regardless of when they are used, according to the Pace website.
Students can also receive $1 reduced fares on their Ventra cards, or can pay $1.10 in cash with a student ID to use the Pace bus system.
Students can receive student fare cards for use on the CTA as well. During school hours, rides on buses and trains cost $.75 for students between the ages of 7 and 20.
At all other times, children between the ages of 7-and-11 can ride for $1.25 on trains and $1.10 on buses. Students over the age of 12 must pay the full CTA fare at all non-school times, according to officials.
