Chicago expanded its downtown rideshare surcharge area in early January to cover parts of the Near North Side, West Loop, Pilsen, South Loop, and Hyde Park, increasing costs for students who take Uber or Lyft rides to and from campus.
Rideshare app customers in a single-party ride starting or ending between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. in the expanded zone will face a $1.50 fee. Shared rides—such as those taken using Uber’s “share” feature—between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. on weekdays will only be charged 60 cents.
The fee applies to all rides originating in or traveling to the surcharge area.
These new surcharge zones were implemented as part of Chicago’s 2026 budget legislation after the City Council rejected a corporate head tax proposed by Mayor Brandon Johnson.
A University spokesperson told the Maroon the University is “evaluating” whether the surcharge applies to its contract for Via rides. The text of the ground transportation tax suggests it only applies to individually paid rides.
Celeste Alcalay contributed reporting.
