Plan Trips Across Chicago Transit
Ventra combines route discovery and trip planning for people moving around Chicago on CTA, Pace, Metra, and Divvy. Search by line, station, or destination, compare nearby service, and use the map to understand where transit options connect. Bringing these networks together reduces the need to switch between separate agency tools when a journey includes more than one service.
Trip Tools also supports practical decisions before leaving. Riders can view transit maps, build a route across available networks, and return to useful locations from the home screen. The nearby panel makes location-aware results easy to reach, while the bottom navigation separates planning, cards, and tickets into clear tasks.
Track Arrivals and Save Favorite Stops
Real-time arrival and departure information helps riders decide when to head for a stop and whether another option is more convenient. Ventra can surface CTA, Pace, and Metra service by selected stop, favorite, or nearby location, so routine commutes and unfamiliar trips begin with the same workflow. Search and map views keep these results close to the planning tools.
The home screen includes a Favorite a line or stop task alongside nearby service, making repeated checks quicker. Saving a regular station or bus stop turns the app into a lightweight commute dashboard, while occasional riders can rely on search and nearby results. This combination is useful for everyday travel, transfers, and last-minute schedule checks.
Manage Ventra Cards and Fare Value
Ventra Card tools bring fare management into the same app used for planning. After signing in, riders can check balances and available passes, load transit value, add passes, set a default card, and control autoload. Purchase and ride history provide a record of account activity, which helps frequent CTA and Pace riders keep fare details organized.
Android users can also add an eligible Ventra Card to Google Wallet and tap supported phones at CTA and Pace readers. A registered full-fare card or a new digital card can be linked from the card area, while account notifications can signal when value or passes need attention. These controls are most useful for riders who want one place for payment setup and ongoing card maintenance.
Buy and Use Metra Mobile Tickets
Metra mobile ticketing gives commuter-rail riders a direct purchase and storage flow. From the Metra tab, users can choose a rail line, origin, destination, ticket type, and quantity before checking out. Purchased tickets stay available in the app, where riders can activate the appropriate ticket after boarding and show it to the conductor for validation.
The Metra area also provides access to transit history and an option to move tickets to the device. Signing in connects ticket purchases to a Ventra account and can protect stored tickets when a phone is lost or replaced. This makes Ventra practical for riders who mix Metra journeys with CTA or Pace travel and want fares, tickets, and trip information together.
