O'Hare to Evanston
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.
More in our guide: O'Hare to Evanston by bus.
- Where
- Evanston: Downtown Evanston, along Dempster Street
- Ways compared
- Pace Route 250 bus, Taxi, Rideshare
Every way to get to Evanston, compared
| Way | Time | Cost | First from ORD | Last from ORD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pace Route 250 bus | None published | $2.00 with a Ventra card, mobile wallet, app or contactless bank card; $2.25 in cash with no transfers; reduced fare $1.00 by card, $1.10 in cash | 5:45 a.m. weekdays, 7:15 a.m. Saturdays, 7:17 a.m. Sundays and holidays, from the Multi-Modal Facility | 10:20 p.m. weekdays, 10:08 p.m. Saturdays, 10:09 p.m. Sundays and holidays, from the Multi-Modal Facility |
| Taxi | None published | The meter alone; no fare or distance published for the trip | None published | None published |
| Rideshare | None published | None published | None published | None published |
Pace Route 250 bus
Route 250 isn't a CTA bus. Take the free 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. Pace buses load at bus bays 8 and 9. The route serves posted stops only. Des Plaines Metra station connects to Metra's Union Pacific Northwest line, Dempster-Skokie station to the CTA Skokie Swift (the Yellow Line), and Davis Street to the CTA Purple Line and Metra's Union Pacific North line. Pace publishes a PDF schedule and a live bus tracker for each direction.
Taxi
Taxis wait at the stand on the lower-level curb outside baggage claim at every terminal. Use the marked stand, and turn down rides offered outside it or on the departure level. The meter charges a $3.25 flag covering the first ninth of a mile, then $0.31 for each further ninth, plus a $4 airport departure tax. A $2.50 rush hour surcharge applies from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and a $1.00 overnight surcharge from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Evanston is on the city's straight-meter list, so a cab pays the meter alone rather than the meter plus one half. Each mile adds about $2.79; multiply your mileage by that rate for a rough fare.
Rideshare
Pickups are on the upper level: Terminal 2 at the orange poles 2A to 2G, Terminal 3 at the green poles 3G, 3H, 3J and 3K. The airport names no poles for Terminals 1 or 5. You can also take rideshare, but no fare or time is published for this trip.
Good to know
- Route 250 is the local bus on a corridor that the Pulse Dempster Line serves more often. On weekdays Pulse runs every 15 minutes from about 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., then every 20 minutes until about 1:00 a.m. On weekends and holidays it runs every 15 minutes from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and every 20 minutes early and late.
- Pulse Dempster also connects at the O'Hare Multi-Modal Facility.
- Pace also names Lutheran General Hospital, Notre Dame High School and Maine East High School as major destinations on Route 250.
- A suburban company's cab has to be booked by phone first.
Questions about Evanston
Is there a shuttle from ORD to Evanston?
The shuttle or bus option is Pace Route 250 bus (None published; $2.00 with a Ventra card, mobile wallet, app or contactless bank card; $2.25 in cash with no transfers; reduced fare $1.00 by card, $1.10 in cash).
Pace Route 250 bus at ORDSources: Pace, Chicago Department of Aviation, Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, Chicago Transit Authority