Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) announced CTA will again this year provide all students and accompanying adults with free bus and train rides on the first day of Chicago Public Schools’ school year, which is Tuesday, September 5, 2017. Each year, CTA transports thousands of students every day to school and to extracurricular activities. Whether catching a bus to class, football practice or a debate tournament, students can be confident that CTA will take them where they need to go. “Knowing how important school attendance is to a child’s education, we hope this gesture will help Chicago area students succeed,” said CTA President Carter. “We at CTA are proud to offer free public transit to students and their accompanying adult on the first day of school and look forward to supporting their academic success all year long.”

Going back to school is one of the most exciting times of the year, and it’s critical to make sure students return to school to start the year right,” said CPS CEO Forrest Claypool. “We’re proud of our partnership with the CTA for their free ride program, and their ongoing low-cost fare program helps countless students and families who rely on public transit to get to and from school affordably.” CTA this year will continue to offer its low 75-cent fares for elementary and high school students Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. when school is in session. Beyond school hours, elementary students ages 7-11 pay reduced fares of $1 on the bus and $1.10 on rail. Passengers who are 12 and older pay the full fare of $2 on bus and $2.25 on rail. For more information about student fares, please visit: http://www.transitchicago.com/students/ .