ORDAirport Guide

The Terminal Transfer Bus at O'Hare: who can ride it and when

The secure-side bus between Terminal 5 and Terminals 1 and 3 takes connecting passengers with a same-day boarding pass, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The Terminal Transfer Bus standing at its apron stop at Terminal 3 at O'Hare, with its door open.
Terminal Transfer Bus, O'Hare

Terminal 5 has no secure-side walkway to Terminals 1, 2 and 3, so the airport runs a bus that keeps you past security. The Terminal Transfer Bus is for connecting passengers only, the airport’s bus page says. You need a boarding pass for a same-day flight leaving from the terminal you’re riding to. Buses run every 15 minutes, between 11:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. The ride is free.

Who counts as connecting

You’re You ride Your boarding pass is for
Past security in Terminal 1 or 3 To Terminal 5 A same-day flight from Terminal 5
Past security in Terminal 5 To Terminal 1 or 3 A same-day flight from Terminal 1 or 3
Arriving from a preclearance airport Terminal 5 to Terminal 1 or 3 A same-day flight from the terminal you ride to
An international arrival who cleared CBP at O’Hare Terminal 5 to Terminal 1 or 3, after TSA screening in Terminal 5 A same-day flight from the terminal you ride to

The last two rows come from the airport’s international traveler page. That page says preclearance passengers can take the bus to their flight without being rescreened, and that other connecting passengers are welcome to be rescreened at a Terminal 5 checkpoint and board the bus. Our Terminal 5 arrivals guide walks through the customs steps that come first.

The rule shuts out anyone riding for another reason, such as a lounge visit in the other terminal, because their boarding pass is for the terminal they started in. If your next flight is on a separate ticket, the airport doesn’t say how to get its boarding pass before you ride. Settle that with the second airline first.

Where the bus leaves from

Terminal Stop Route
Terminal 1 Gate C18B, Concourse C Terminal 1 to Terminal 5
Terminal 3 Gate G17 on Concourse G and Gate K20 on Concourse K Terminal 3 to Terminal 5
Terminal 5 Gate M13, Concourse M Terminal 5 to Terminal 1, and Terminal 5 to Terminal 3

Both routes run in each direction. The airport says the Terminal 1 stop at Gate B1 is temporarily closed for construction, so look for the bus at Gate C18B.

The airport’s international page says the bus takes preclearance passengers to Terminals 1, 2 or 3, but its bus page lists pickups only at Terminals 1, 3 and 5 and no stop at Terminal 2. For a Terminal 2 gate, ride to Terminal 1 or 3 and walk. The bus page says Terminals 1, 2 and 3 have pedestrian connections on the secure side, and our terminal walking guide covers that walk.

When the bus isn’t running

The bus page doesn’t say whether 9:30 p.m. is the last departure or the end of service. On a late connection, aim for an earlier bus.

Between 9:30 p.m. and 11:30 a.m., the airport says passengers connecting between Terminals 1, 2 or 3 and Terminal 5 exit security, board the Airport Transit System and are rescreened at a TSA checkpoint. Our connection time guide lists those checkpoints’ hours, and our connections page lists how the Airport Transit System links the terminals.

The Airport Transit System is free, runs 24 hours a day and comes every 3 to 5 minutes at peak times. End to end, from Terminal 1 to the Multi-Modal Facility, it takes about 10 minutes.

Late at night, the checkpoints that stay open longest are Checkpoint 10 in Terminal 5, which never closes, Checkpoints 1 and 5 in Terminals 1 and 2, which close at 11 p.m., and Checkpoint 7A in Terminal 3, which closes at 10:30 p.m. The other checkpoints close at 8:30 p.m. or earlier. Before 3:15 a.m., only Checkpoint 10 is open.

What the airport doesn’t say

The bus page gives an interval but no ride time between terminals. The airport’s accessibility page covers the train and the parking shuttle buses and doesn’t mention the Terminal Transfer Bus. Each airline coordinates its own wheelchair assistance, so ask yours how it handles this transfer. Our accessibility page lists the airport’s contacts.

Sources