CHICAGO — Chicago-area commuters soon won't have to rush to the bus or train station to put money on their Ventra cards thanks to a smart phone app that will debut this fall.
Now in its testing phase, the Ventra App will allow commuters to buy fares for CTA, Metra and Pace, as well as track bus and train arrival times, Ventra announced Wednesday.
Ventra said the app will be the first "multi-transit agency fare payments app" in the country. Essentially, it will put a Ventra vending machine and a Metra ticket vending machine in the pockets of many customers.
A release date has not been announced, but the company is shooting for a fall rollout, the three commuter agencies said in a press release. The app has been in the works for some time — an early version of the app was demonstrated in early spring.
The app is still in its testing phase, CTA, Metra and Pace announced. Hundreds of commuters and transit employees have had access to the app so that feedback could be provided before it goes live.
“In order to get the best experience for our customers, we placed a heavy emphasis on testing from a diverse group of users,” Pace Deputy Executive Director Mike Bolton said in a statement. “We received great feedback from all of our testers, resulting in an app that we are excited to launch and that will make Ventra even more convenient to use.”
After a disastrous rollout, Ventra replaced the old fare-paying systems on CTA transportation systems in July 2014.
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