CTA is cutting fares on daily and some multiday passes this summer as Chicago looks to bring back events and festivals and restaurants reopen.
Beginning Saturday, one-day passes will be $5, down from their usual $10. Three-day passes, geared toward weekend riders, will be cut to $15 from $20 and seven-day passes will be reduced to $20 from $28. The reduced fares will last through Sept. 6.
“I am happy to see a safe return of increasing ridership to the iconic and vital CTA service,” Chicago public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a statement. “My team has worked with CTA through this pandemic to ensure that public health protocols are in place to keep our transit riders safe and healthy.”
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The reduced fares are part of CTA’s efforts to draw back riders and attract new customers. The “When you’re ready, we’re ready” campaign includes advertising, special events and customer incentives, and aims to provide information about mask requirements, cleaning efforts and investments in service and technology, such as an updated Ventra app.
CTA plans to freshen up more than 125 of its 145 rail stations this year. The stations will be repainted and power washed, and nearly one-third will undergo more extensive maintenance, including upgraded lighting, concrete repairs and the addition of trash bins and benches. Some stations will receive behind-the-scenes repairs to utility and plumbing lines.
More than 500,000 customers are riding CTA on an average weekday, the agency said, which is about one-third of pre-pandemic levels.