{
    "dataset": "Homzora Chicago CTA Fares 2026",
    "city": "Chicago, Illinois",
    "period": "2026",
    "basis": "Published fare schedule taken from the Chicago Transit Authority and the Northern Illinois Transit Authority. Both are official sources and they agree with each other on every figure in this file.",
    "sources": [
        "Chicago Transit Authority fare information, transitchicago.com",
        "Northern Illinois Transit Authority, paying for your ride, nita.illinois.gov"
    ],
    "source_type": "transit authority, primary",
    "transfer_policy": "A single fare permits up to two additional rides within two hours, on CTA and Pace. The CTA fare chart and the state transit authority both state this is free.",
    "disagreement": "Several third party guides state that a transfer costs 25 cents, that the 30 day pass is 85 dollars, and that the 7 day pass is 25 or 30 dollars. One states the 3 day pass was eliminated in 2026. None of those figures appear on the CTA or state transit authority pages, which agree with each other. Homzora publishes the authority figures and records the disagreement rather than resolving it. Verify against the CTA before relying on any fare.",
    "note": "The CTA fare chart carries an effective date of February 2023, while the state transit authority page is current. Fares change and the Ventra system is periodically revised. Check before travelling.",
    "not_included": "This dataset does not publish commute times. Door to door journey time depends on walking distance, waiting, transfers, time of day and service conditions, none of which Homzora has measured. Metra commuter rail and Pace suburban bus fares are also outside its scope beyond the passes noted.",
    "license": "Not yet determined. Source reuse terms have not been reviewed.",
    "methodology": "https://homzora.co/chicago/guides/methodology/",
    "observed": "2026-09",
    "rows": [
        {
            "fare_type": "L train single ride",
            "price_usd": "2.50",
            "payment": "Ventra card, contactless bankcard or mobile wallet",
            "notes": "Flat fare regardless of distance"
        },
        {
            "fare_type": "Bus single ride",
            "price_usd": "2.25",
            "payment": "Ventra card, contactless bankcard or mobile wallet",
            "notes": "Lower than the rail fare, which is unusual among US systems"
        },
        {
            "fare_type": "L train cash",
            "price_usd": "2.50",
            "payment": "Cash loaded at an L station",
            "notes": "Cash must be loaded onto a Ventra card or a single ride ticket bought"
        },
        {
            "fare_type": "Bus cash",
            "price_usd": "2.50",
            "payment": "Cash on board",
            "notes": "Higher than the Ventra bus fare, so paying cash on a bus costs 25 cents more"
        },
        {
            "fare_type": "Single ride Ventra ticket",
            "price_usd": "3.00",
            "payment": "Disposable paper ticket",
            "notes": "Includes up to two transfers within two hours and a limited use media fee"
        },
        {
            "fare_type": "O Hare Blue Line surcharge",
            "price_usd": "5.00",
            "payment": "Boardings at O Hare station only",
            "notes": "Applies to the airport station. A one day pass at 5.00 covers the same journey plus unlimited travel for the rest of the day"
        },
        {
            "fare_type": "Transfer",
            "price_usd": "0.00",
            "payment": "Up to two additional rides within two hours",
            "notes": "Free on CTA and Pace according to both the CTA and the state transit authority. See the disagreement note in this dataset"
        },
        {
            "fare_type": "1 day CTA and Pace pass",
            "price_usd": "5.00",
            "payment": "Unlimited for 24 hours from first use",
            "notes": "Pays for itself on the second ride"
        },
        {
            "fare_type": "3 day CTA and Pace pass",
            "price_usd": "15.00",
            "payment": "Unlimited for 72 hours",
            "notes": ""
        },
        {
            "fare_type": "7 day CTA and Pace pass",
            "price_usd": "20.00",
            "payment": "Unlimited for 7 days",
            "notes": "Works out at about 2.86 a day"
        },
        {
            "fare_type": "30 day CTA and Pace pass",
            "price_usd": "75.00",
            "payment": "Unlimited for 30 days",
            "notes": "The relevant figure for a monthly housing budget"
        },
        {
            "fare_type": "30 day reduced pass",
            "price_usd": "35.00",
            "payment": "Unlimited for 30 days, reduced fare riders",
            "notes": "Seniors, riders with disabilities and other eligible riders"
        },
        {
            "fare_type": "Reduced L train fare",
            "price_usd": "1.25",
            "payment": "Ventra reduced fare card",
            "notes": ""
        },
        {
            "fare_type": "Reduced bus fare",
            "price_usd": "1.10",
            "payment": "Ventra reduced fare card",
            "notes": ""
        },
        {
            "fare_type": "Student fare",
            "price_usd": "0.75",
            "payment": "Student Ventra card, ages 7 to 20",
            "notes": "Available 24 hours a day through the school year and summer, with free transfers between CTA and Pace"
        },
        {
            "fare_type": "Ventra card",
            "price_usd": "5.00",
            "payment": "Physical card from a vending machine",
            "notes": "Refundable as transit value once the card is registered"
        },
        {
            "fare_type": "Regional Connect Pass",
            "price_usd": "30.00",
            "payment": "For Metra monthly pass holders",
            "notes": "Unlimited CTA and Pace for a month, purchasable only in the Ventra app"
        }
    ]
}