Chicago Public Transportation Tips

One of the most intimidating parts of traveling in a new city is navigating the public transportation system without looking like the lost tourist. Chicago is a massive city that sprawls out in all directions from Lake Michigan, and with a rather old train system, you are going to know what you are doing before you start heading in the wrong direction on the Red “El” Line and waste a good hour of sight seeing time! So, here are a few tips to get you quickly, correctly, and safely from point A to point B.

1. Buy your fare card ahead of time. You will waste a lot of money and time buying single fare cards. One train ride is $2.25 and one bus ride is $2.00, with a transfer fee of $0.25, but this must be done within 2 hours. So, I recommend buying a 1-day, 3-day or 7-day pass which gives you unlimited rides during that period of time on both the train and bus. These can be purchased at some ‘L’ stops or at most Walgreen’s Pharmacy stores.

2. Use the CTA Trip Planner. The website easily directs you to your desired location using public transportation. It will give you the option of what mode of public transportation you prefer. Unfortunately, they do not offer this option for the trains, but there is an estimated time of arrival sign at most train stations.

3. Use CTA Bus Tracker on your phone! The Bus Tracker which can be found on the CTA website will save you an incredible amount of time. Some bus routes are not always dependable, so Bus Tracker will let you know if your desired bus is 2 minutes away or 30 minutes away. This takes the guessing game out of your traveling.

4. Do take the L from the airport. Both Midway and O’Hare make it easy to get downtown via the train. Many times, with Chicago traffic, this will be easier, faster, and significantly cheaper than a cab.

5. Always allow extra time! Unfortunately, Chicago transportation is not that speedy. Unexpected delays are so common they should be expected. So, be prepared to wait, and while waiting start memorizing Red line stops (the train used most frequently by tourists) until you are just like a local.

6. Be Safe! It is never fun to think about the bad things that happen when traveling, but the buses and trains are open to everybody, so you must take precaution. The El is packed during rush hour times, so keep all bags close to you. Do change train cars if you ever feel uncomfortable. In general, people avoid eye contact with each other, but do be aware of those around you at all times. Do not ride the El late at night, and certainly not alone, but if you have to get in the car with the conductor.

Get more info at the CTA website.