CTA Fares 2026: Still $2.50 for the L, $2.25 for the Bus

Key takeaway: CTA fares are unchanged in 2026: $2.50 per train ride, $2.25 per bus ride and $75 for a 30-day pass.

Cta fares: $2.50 per train ride; $2.25 per bus ride; $75 30-day pass — Key numbers from this guide, fall 2026. Each figure is sourced in the text below.

If you’ve read that a CTA train ride now costs $2.75, that’s out of date. The ‘L’ fare is still $2.50, the bus is still $2.25 and the 30-day pass is still $75. Those are the same prices on the CTA fare chart since February 2023.

What happened to the fare hike

In fall 2025, with federal pandemic money running out, the Regional Transportation Authority told the CTA, Metra and Pace to raise fares at least 10% for 2026. The CTA’s version was a 25 cent increase on trains and buses plus higher pass prices. News outlets and travel guides reported those numbers, and plenty of them still show them.

Then Springfield passed a $1.2 billion transit funding package during the fall veto session. The RTA dropped its fare hike requirement, and in November 2025 the CTA board approved a 2026 budget with no fare increase, no service cuts and no layoffs (WTTW). The law also bars fare increases in 2026 (Axios).

Current CTA fares

Fare	Full price
‘L’ train ride	$2.50
Bus ride	$2.25
Transfers, up to 2 within 2 hours	Free
1-Day pass	$5
3-Day pass	$15
7-Day pass	$20
30-Day pass	$75
30-Day pass, reduced fare	$35
Train boarding at O’Hare	$5
Regional Connect Pass, with a Metra monthly	$30

Checked against the CTA fare chart on October 25, 2026.

Is a pass worth it?

At $2.50 a ride, the 30-day pass pays for itself at 30 train rides, or 15 round trips. For a five-day-a-week commuter, that’s about three weeks of riding. The 7-Day pass breaks even at 8 train rides. Transfers within two hours are already free on Ventra, so a train plus a bus counts as one fare.

What’s changing for drivers

Tollway: passenger tolls go up 45 cents under the same transit law (NBC Chicago).
Chicago Skyway: $8.10 in 2026, up 30 cents (ABC7).
Rideshare: $1.50 extra for rides that start or end in the downtown congestion zone.
Thinking about a car instead? See what it costs to own a car in Chicago.

What to watch in 2027

The new Northern Illinois Transit Authority, or NITA, replaces the RTA in 2027 and takes over fare-setting for the CTA, Metra and Pace (Progressive Railroading). The 2026 freeze doesn’t carry forward on its own, so 2027 prices are an open question. We’ll update this post when NITA acts.

Reduced and free fares

Who	Train	Bus
Reduced fare (seniors 65 and older, riders with disabilities, Medicare cardholders, children 7 to 11)	$1.25	$1.10
Students 7 to 20 with a Student Ventra Card	$0.75	$0.75
Children 6 and under with a paying adult	Free	Free

Source: CTA fares; NITA free and reduced fare programs. Seniors and riders with disabilities enrolled in the Illinois Department on Aging’s Benefit Access Program can ride free on CTA, Metra and Pace through Ride Free, and active-duty military in uniform ride free. Households on SNAP benefits can get reduced fares through the Access Program, which NITA is expanding across all three systems.

Ventra cards, tickets and tap-to-pay

A Ventra card costs $5, and the $5 comes back as transit value if you register the card within 90 days (CTA).
You can skip the card and tap a contactless bank card or phone at the gate to pay as you go; Ventra cards and passes also work in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet (NITA).
A single-ride paper ticket costs $3 and includes two transfers within two hours, so a Ventra card saves 50 cents a trip (CTA).
Paying cash on a bus costs $2.50 and gives no transfer.
The Regional Day Pass, sold only in the Ventra app, bundles a Metra day pass with a day of CTA and Pace rides for $10 on weekdays within zones 1 and 2, or $9.50 on weekends (NITA).

College students: U-Pass

Many Chicago colleges include a U-Pass with unlimited CTA rides during the term. At UIC, for example, the U-Pass costs $163 a semester, $125 for summer, and $380 for U-PASS+, which adds Metra (UIC). Check your own school’s fee, since each sets its own.

What happens in 2027

The new Northern Illinois Transit Authority adopts its first regional budget in December 2026. The proposed budget is due for public comment on November 3, 2026, with hearings in November and December, and no 2027 fare proposal had been published as of October 25 (NITA). We will update this page when it is.

No, CTA fares didn’t go up in 2026