CTA offers free New Year’s Eve rides on buses, trains

The CTA is encouraging New Year’s Eve revelers to celebrate safely by offering free rides on trains and buses overnight.

The free rides will be available between 10 p.m. New Year’s Eve and 4 a.m. New Year’s Day, according to a statement from the CTA. Riders will be able to board without tapping their Ventra or bank cards.

The transit agency will also be offering extra service for the fireworks show at Navy Pier in the form of increased bus service; longer trains on the Brown, Blue Green, Orange and Purple lines; more frequent trains on the Red and Blue lines; and longer hours on the Green, Yellow, Brown, Orange and Purple lines.

The CTA has been offering free rides since 1985. The free rides this year are sponsored by MillerCoors.

The CTA said it provided nearly 91,000 free rides during the same promotional period last year.