“First Day, Free Rides” program partnership aimed at increasing student attendance
To help Chicago students kick-off the 2019-2020 school year, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) have partnered with Under Armour to provide free CTA bus and train rides to all Chicago-area elementary and high school students, as well their accompanying adult(s), on the first day of the Chicago Public Schools’ school year – Tuesday, September 3.
“We are committed to improving the lives of Chicago’s children by providing them with the tools and resources necessary to keep them on the path to success,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “The ‘First Day, Free Rides’ program helps ensure students attend the first day of school and start the year on the right foot, which is critically important to their success throughout the year.”
The “First Day, Free Rides” program has quickly become a back-to-school tradition for Chicago students. Last year, the program provided approximately 130,000 free rides to students and their parents or guardians. Since the program launched in 2011, more than 1 million free rides have been provided for Chicago area students.
“We are thrilled that Under Armour is helping us get Chicago students to school, so they can maximize their performance in the classroom,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “We are proud to safely, reliably and conveniently transport thousands of Chicago students to and from school, and extracurricular activities, each day.”
For the entire academic school year, students are able to take advantage of discounted fares of 75 cents on school days, between 5:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. Beyond school hours, elementary students, ages 7-11, are eligible for reduced fares of $1.10 for a bus ride and $1.25 for a train ride. Students who are age 12 and older will continue to pay the full fare of $2.25 on buses and $2.50 on trains. The CTA provides an estimated 150,000 rides to students each weekday.
For more information about Student Reduced Fare, please visit: https://www.transitchicago.com/students/
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