General info
The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) coordinates the operation of the three service boards: CTA, Metra, and Pace for smooth public transportation through Chicago.
As a visitor, the following information will be useful to you:
- With the RTA's new multi-modal trip planner Goroo, you can plan your trip faster, better and more accurately.
- You can get travel information from the RTA Travel Information Center by calling (312) 836-7000, which is open from 4:45 am to 1:00 am, every day.
- Train station turnstiles do not accept cash, so you will need to get a transit card. Transit card machines are available at any CTA train station, but not all transit card machines accept credit cards.
- Children under 7 ride free with a fare-paying customer.
- CTA Visitor Passes offer you the most economical travel value:
- 1-Day Visitor Pass for USD 10.00
- 3-Day Visitor Pass for USD 20.00
- 7-Day Pass for CTA only is USD 28.00
- 7-Day Pass for CTA and Pace for USD 33.00
- 30-Day Pass for CTA and Pace is USD 100.00
Train
- Chicago L Train System
- Chicago Transit Authority's (CTA's) train system is The 'L' offers services in 8 colored lines namely: Red, Blue, Green, Orange, Brown, Purple, Pink, and Yellow lines.
- CTA offers rail service 24 hours a day, every day of the year in Chicago
- Fare information is available here.
- A detailed schedule is available here.
- Metra
- Metra provides convenient train service to/from downtown and many suburbs.
- They offer a USD 7 pass for unlimited rides on the weekends (with up to 3 kids per adult free).
- A discounted 10-ride pass may be shared between people.
- A detailed schedule is available here.
Bus
- CTA Bus Service
- CTA has 206 routes across which buses run on a regular schedule
- The detailed schedule is available here.
- Sunday schedules apply on New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
- CTA has special “Owl” service which runs from 12:00am to 5:00am. "Owl" service refers to CTA's Night Owl service hours.
- Pace Suburban bus service
- The detailed schedule is available here.
- In case of any questions regarding schedules, please call Pace Customer Relations at 847-364-7223, option 3, or the RTA Travel Information Center at 312-836-7000.
- Fare information is available here.
Taxi
- Private taxi services are available across town.
- The minimum fare for any journey is USD 2.25, then for every 1/9 of a mile travelled it is USD 0.20.
- For the first additional adult passenger there is a USD 1.00 charge and any additional adult is USD 0.50. In addition, for every 30 seconds of time not spent moving the meter adds USD 0.20.
- You are responsible for all tolls.
- Rides originating or terminating at O'Hare or Midway airports are assessed an additional USD 1.00 fee. It is not permitted to charge for baggage.
- Tipping is optional. A rate of 7.5% is considered fair.
- If you have a problem with any Taxi in Chicago demand a receipt which will show the Driver's company, name, number, as well as the date, time, and places of your trip. Then you can call city services by dialing 311 from any land line in the city and file a complaint.
- You can order a cab on the following numbers:
American-United Taxi: +1 773 248-7600
Checker Cab: +1 312 243-2537
Flash Cab: +1 773 561-1444 [25]
Yellow Cab: +1 312 829-4222
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- Chicago Water Taxi operates on a closed loop route on the Chicago River, from March to December, shuttling passengers between
- Chinatown and Madison Street on the south branch.
- La Salle Street and Michigan Avenue on the main branch.
- North Avenue on the North Branch.
- During the summer, departures and arrivals are scheduled on:
- Monday through Friday from 6:45 am to 9:00 pm.
- Weekends from 10:00 am through 8:30 pm.
- Saturday nights until 11:00pm for Navy Pier fireworks.
- Shoreline Sightseeing
- Shoreline Sightseeing has 11 major touring vessels and eight water taxis.
- Detailed schedule is available here.
- It is more expensive (USD 5-7).
- It serves seven destinations including some on Lake Michigan (Union Station/Sears Tower, Wells & Wacker, Michigan Ave Bridge, Navy Pier-Ogden Slip, Navy Pier-Dock St, Buckingham Fountain, and Museum Campus).
- It has occasional and less frequent service in the spring and fall.