O'Hare to Evanston by bus
Pace Route 250 runs daily along Dempster Street from the Multi-Modal Facility to Evanston for $2.00. Where it meets the trains, and the taxi option.
Pace Route 250 is the bus to Evanston. It leaves from the Multi-Modal Facility rather than the terminals and runs daily along Dempster Street to downtown Evanston. The fare is $2.00 with a Ventra card, a phone wallet or a contactless bank card.
Ride the train to the bus
Route 250 isn’t a CTA bus. Take the Airport Transit System from any terminal to the Multi-Modal Facility at 10255 W. Zemke Blvd. The full run from Terminal 1 takes about 10 minutes, so the ride is shorter from anywhere else. Pace buses load at bus bays 8 and 9.
Reduced fares are $1.00 by card. Cash costs $2.25, or $1.10 with proof of reduced-fare eligibility, and cash gets no transfers.
Which stop for the train you want
Pace says the route serves posted stops only, so the bus won’t pick you up between them. It names four rail connections at three stops.
| Stop | What it connects to |
|---|---|
| Des Plaines Metra station | Metra’s Union Pacific Northwest line |
| Dempster-Skokie station | The CTA Skokie Swift, which is the Yellow Line |
| Davis Street | The CTA Purple Line and Metra’s Union Pacific North line |
Pace also names Lutheran General Hospital, Notre Dame High School and Maine East High School as major destinations on the route.
Pace gives no trip time, only a schedule to check
Pace lists Route 250 as daily service. Its route page links a PDF schedule and a live bus tracker for each direction. The page’s text gives no first bus, last bus or trip time, so check both before you plan a connection.
Pace calls Route 250 the local bus on a corridor that its Pulse Dempster Line serves more often. Pulse runs on this schedule, as Pace words it:
| Time | A bus every |
|---|---|
| 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. | 20 minutes |
| 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 15 minutes |
| 10 p.m. until service ends at about 1 a.m., depending on the day | 20 minutes |
Pace’s list of major destinations for the two lines includes the Multi-Modal Facility. It doesn’t say where Pulse boards there, so confirm that with Pace before you count on it.
Evanston is on the city’s straight-meter list
The city publishes a list of straight-meter suburbs, and Evanston is on it. Trips to most other suburbs cost the meter plus one half, so a cab to Evanston pays the meter alone. The airport and the city publish no fare or distance for the trip.
The city’s meter rates give you the rest. The $3.25 flag covers the first ninth of a mile, and each further mile adds about $2.79. A $4 airport departure tax comes on top. Multiply the mileage to your address by that rate for a rough fare.
Taxis wait at the stand on the lower-level curb outside baggage claim at every terminal. Cabs from the stand serve suburban destinations. A suburban company’s cab has to be booked by phone first. You can also take rideshare, and the rideshare page lists the pickup poles.
Sources
- O’Hare Airport Guide: Pace Route 250, Airport Transit System, taxi and rideshare
- Pace: Route 250 and fares
- Chicago Department of Aviation: Public Transit, Airport Transit System and Taxis, Limousines and Rideshare
- Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection: the city’s taxi rates