CHICAGO — A Ventra app that will allow CTA and Metra users to pay their fares using their smartphone will go public Thursday.
"It's essentially a Ventra vending machine in your pocket," said Catherine Hosinski, a CTA spokeswoman.
CTA has tested the app on 700 commuters for months. It will allow people to buy passes on their phones. The app will also launch with real-time transit tracking as well.
But keep that Ventra card. The launch version of the app cannot be used at the turnstiles or to get onto a bus.
CTA officials say a future version of the app will allow users to tap their way into a station or bus using their smartphone instead of a physical card.
From the start, the app can be used as a replacement for Metra paper tickets.
The smartphone app will work on CTA, Metra and Pace.
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