Students to get free CTA rides on first day of school

For the fifth year in a row, Chicago students will be able to travel for free on the CTA for the first day of school.

From 5:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Sept. 8, students and accompanying adults can ride for free on CTA buses and trains, the transit agency announced Wednesday.

Sept. 8 is the first day in session for Chicago Public Schools students, but students at other schools in the city can ride free, too.

The free fares are a continuation of the “First Day, Free Rides” program, which began in 2011. City officials say the purpose is to encourage attendance on the first day of school, which is linked to higher attendance rates throughout the school year.

Last year, the CTA provided more than 120,000 free student rides on the first day of school and provided about 28 million reduced-fare student rides throughout the academic year.

“This program has become a tradition in promoting school attendance and in helping students get to school safely and on time from day one,” CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. said in a statement.

After the first day of school, students can ride the CTA for a discounted rate of 75 cents while classes are session, Monday-Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

— Jared Landsman