Getting around Chicago without a car

This guide is for people who live in Chicago without a car, people thinking about giving one up, and visitors who would rather not pay for parking or rideshare surges. It covers the CTA trains and buses, Metra commuter rail and Pace suburban buses, how Ventra ties the fares together, where Divvy bikes and scooters fit in, and the cheapest reliable ways to and from both airports.

The short version: the L and the buses handle most trips inside the city, Metra is faster for the suburbs and some far corners of the city, and a bike or scooter fills in the gaps between stations. Fares below were checked against each agency’s own fare page in late September 2026.

CTA trains and buses

The Chicago Transit Authority runs the L, eight color-coded train lines that mostly converge on the elevated Loop tracks downtown, plus a large bus network laid out on the city’s street grid. Buses tend to be the better choice for trips that run crosstown, since most L lines point toward the Loop like spokes.

Which line does what

• Red Line: the north-south spine, from Howard on the Evanston border through downtown to 95th Street. Useful for Wrigleyville, Lincoln Park and Chinatown.
• Blue Line: O’Hare to downtown and on to Forest Park, through Logan Square and Wicker Park. Service runs 24 hours a day.
• Brown Line: Kimball through Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, North Center and Lakeview, then around the Loop.
• Orange Line: Midway Airport to the Loop.
• Green and Pink lines: the West Side, the South Side and the suburbs of Oak Park and Cicero.
• Purple Line: Evanston and Wilmette, with express trips downtown at rush hour.

One downtown change catches people: the State/Lake station on the Loop elevated is closed for reconstruction into 2029. The CTA tells riders to use Clark/Lake or Washington/Wabash instead.

What a local would tell you

Use CTA Train Tracker and Bus Tracker, or the arrival times in the Ventra app, before you walk to the stop. Weekday rush hours are the most crowded, and that is also when bikes are banned from trains: the CTA does not allow bicycles on L trains from 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. on weekdays, and only two bikes are allowed per car at other times. Divvy bikes are not allowed on the CTA at all. Every CTA bus has a front rack if you need to carry a bike during rush.

Elevators go out of service more often than riders would like. The CTA posts elevator outages on its alerts page, and it is worth a look before any trip with a stroller, luggage or a wheelchair.

Metra for the suburbs

Metra is the commuter railroad, with lines fanning out from four downtown terminals: Union Station and Ogilvie Transportation Center in the West Loop, LaSalle Street Station on the south edge of the Loop, and Millennium Station under Millennium Park. Trains are faster than the L for long trips, but they run on timetables, and midday and weekend trains can be an hour or more apart on some lines. Check the schedule before you go.

Metra fares are zoned. Per Metra’s fare table, a one-way ticket between Zone 1 (downtown) and Zone 2 costs $3.75, $5.50 to Zone 3 and $6.75 to Zone 4. A weekday Day Pass is $7.50, $11 or $13.50 by zone. On weekends, a $7 Saturday, Sunday or Holiday Day Pass covers the whole system, and a $10 Weekend Pass in the Ventra app covers both days.

Buy your ticket before boarding. Metra charges a $5 surcharge on one-way tickets bought from the conductor if you boarded at a station that sells tickets, and the Ventra app is the easiest way to avoid that. On weekends and some holidays, up to three children 11 and under ride free with each paying adult under Metra’s Family Fares. Bikes ride Metra at no extra charge.

Pace buses

Pace runs the suburban buses and a few routes that reach into the city. A regular Pace fare is $2 with a Ventra card, contactless bankcard or phone, and $2.25 in cash, with no transfers on cash fares, according to Pace’s fare page. Premium express routes, such as the 282 from Schaumburg to Wrigley Field, cost $4.50. CTA day passes are good on Pace, which makes a trip that mixes the two systems simple.

Ventra and fares

Ventra is the payment system for all three agencies. You can tap a contactless bankcard or phone at CTA turnstiles and on buses and pay as you go, load a Ventra card, or buy passes and Metra tickets in the Ventra app. Ventra cards can also be added to Apple Wallet on iPhone and to Google Pay, according to the Ventra site.

CTA fares

From the CTA fare chart, in effect since February 20, 2023, and still current in September 2026:

• L train: $2.50. Bus: $2.25. Up to two more rides within two hours are free.
• Paying cash on the bus costs $2.50 and includes no transfer.
• Boarding at O’Hare costs $5. An unlimited pass covers it at no extra charge.
• Passes, good on both CTA and Pace: 1-Day $5, 3-Day $15, 7-Day $20 and 30-Day $75.
• A new Ventra card costs $5, and the fee comes back as transit value if you register the card within 90 days.
• A single-ride Ventra ticket from a vending machine is $3 ($5 at O’Hare) and is good for three rides within two hours.

The $5 1-Day pass pays for itself on the second L ride of the day, so for visitors it is usually the right call. Transfers from Pace to the CTA cost 25 cents.

Combining Metra with CTA and Pace

Two products link the systems. The Regional Day Pass, sold only in the Ventra app, is a $2.50 add-on to a Metra Day Pass or Saturday, Sunday or Holiday Pass that covers unlimited CTA and Pace rides as well. Metra monthly pass holders can add a $30 Regional Connect Pass for a month of CTA and Pace. Metra also runs a reduced fare Access Program for SNAP recipients in the six-county region, currently set to run through December 31, 2026.

Divvy and scooters

Divvy is the city’s bikeshare system, run by Lyft, with classic bikes, e-bikes and scooters parked at docking stations across Chicago and Evanston. Divvy’s pricing page lists these rates:

• Single ride: $1 to unlock plus 20 cents a minute on a classic bike, or $1 plus 44 cents a minute on an e-bike or scooter.
• Day pass: $19.90, with unlimited three-hour classic bike rides for 24 hours.
• Annual membership: $143.90, with a $99 offer for new members. Members get 45 free minutes on classic bikes and 20 cents a minute on e-bikes with free unlocks.
• Divvy for Everyone: $5 a year for qualifying residents.

E-bikes and scooters can be left at any dock or at one of more than 600 public racks for free. Leaving one anywhere else that is legal costs an extra $3, or $2 for members. The CTA and Ventra are also running a pilot that gives registered Ventra users a $5 Divvy credit when they enroll and buy a monthly pass.

A local tip: short Divvy trips to and from L stations are where bikeshare earns its keep, since a 10-minute classic ride costs about $3 without a membership. For daily riding, an annual membership or your own bike is cheaper.

Buying or renting your own bike

People who give up a car often end up owning a bike. Working Bikes, a nonprofit at 2434 S. Western Ave. in Little Village, sells refurbished donated bikes and uses the money to fund bike donations here and abroad. The store is open Wednesday through Saturday. On the North Side, Village Cycle Center at 1337 N. Wells St. in Old Town is a large Trek dealer near the Sedgwick Brown Line stop, with a 30-day test ride on new bikes.

For repairs and commuter builds, Comrade Cycles at 1908 W. Chicago Ave. in Ukrainian Village fixes everything from garage-sale bikes to cracked steel frames and posts a guide to buying used bikes in Chicago on the shop’s site. South Siders can use Blue City Cycles at 3201 S. Halsted St. in Bridgeport, a full-service shop open since 2009 on the 8 Halsted bus route.

Visitors who want a bike for a day rather than a bikeshare ride can rent from Bobby’s Bike Hike at 540 N. Lake Shore Drive in Streeterville, which also runs guided bike tours and is a few blocks from the Lakefront Trail.

Getting to O’Hare and Midway

Both airports are on the L, and the CTA’s airport transit page makes the case plainly. The agency estimates a taxi from O’Hare to downtown at around $40 and rideshare at $35 to $50, with surges past $140. The train is $5.

O’Hare on the Blue Line

The Blue Line station is on the lower level and connects by walkway to Terminals 1, 2 and 3. From Terminal 5, take the free Airport Transit System train to Terminal 2 and follow the signs for CTA trains. The ride to downtown normally takes 40 to 45 minutes, and trains run 24 hours. The $5 fare applies only when boarding at O’Hare; a pass covers it. Expect a full train at rush hour and plan space for luggage.

Midway on the Orange Line

The Midway station sits just east of the terminal, connected by an enclosed walkway. The ride to the Loop takes 20 to 25 minutes for the standard $2.50 fare. The Orange Line does not run overnight; the N62 Archer bus covers those hours.

Good to know

• The Blue Line O’Hare branch is on a modified schedule during non-rush hours and weekends through October 9, 2026, for construction.
• The elevator at the South Water Street entrance to Millennium Station is closed for replacement until winter 2026-2027. Metra suggests the Van Buren Street or 11th Street/Museum Campus stations for riders who need an elevator.
• State/Lake on the Loop elevated is closed into 2029.
• Metra’s Access Program for SNAP recipients is scheduled to end December 31, 2026.
• Divvy prices and promotions change often. Check the app before you ride.

Checked September 28, 2026.

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