I think in germany, I saw a train where each seat has a number. You can enter your car and seat number in the app to link it to your ticket. That info is linked to the conductors tablet. So the conductor doesn't need to check tickets for most people. This would work nicely on metra since if you have a phone, you should be able to do that, if you dont, you would have a paper pass that you put on the clip.

The disadvantage is that there is a non-refundable $5 fee for the replacement card.

If you buy a $5 Ventra single-ride TICKET (not card) from a Ventra Vending Machine at O'Hare, that ticket includes the first ride and two transfers at no additional charge. However, the ticket is not valid on Pace, so it won't work if you need to transfer to a Pace bus. If you pay any other way, It's $5 for the first ride (when boarding at O'Hare) plus 25 cents for the first transfer to a CTA vehicle or 30 cents for the first transfer to a Pace bus. The second transfer is free (CTA or Pace).

If you pay via credit or debit (whether using a credit/debit card or a phone app), the first ride on a CTA bus is $2.50. If you pay using the balance in your Ventra account, the first ride on a CTA bus is $2.25. It is possible to link a Ventra account to your credit/debit card or phone, but this confuses most people, so I just say "If you pay with your Ventra card, the bus fare is 25 cents less than if you pay with your credit/debit card or phone."

If you pay by credit/debit (regardless of whether you are using a credit/debit card or phone), CTA bus fare is $2.50, not $2.25 So the return trip would be $2.50 + $0.25,

If you buy a Ventra ticket at O'Hare, that does include 2 transfers for a total cost of $5. The transfers are good until 2 hours after you first use the card.



Unfortunately, you can't buy a ticket on a bus. You can pay using cash ($2.50), a Ventra card ($2.25), or an NFC device (card or phone for $2.50).


Yes, you can register immediately. It's kind of awkward to do standing in the train station, but it works.

$5+$0.25+$2.50+$0.25=$8.00
You can order a Ventra card to be mailed to your home address in the United States. It's not fast.

For those not from Chicagoland, when people in Chicago say "the CTA," most are referring to the "L" trains, even though the Chicago Transit Authority also operates buses. Once inside, you can freely "transfer" from one CTA train to another at no additional cost, on an unlimited basis and regardless of line, just so long as you don't need to leave the system to do so. For example, there's a free transfer tunnel that connects the Jackson/Dearborn Station on the Blue Line to the Jackson/State Station on the Red Line; and it doesn't cost anything to to transfer between the two at this location:
Bonus fact: In the State Street Subway section of the Red Line, all stations from Lake Street to Jackson Street share a single platform. It's the longest subway platform in the world and the longest train platform in North America. Chicago Aussie made an interesting YouTube video about it:

I'll post there his are the most recent thread related to Ventra

I have a Ventra Card (the blue one which expires in 2037!) from a previous visit to Chicago. I didn't register it so I guess I lost the $5.

I last used the card a couple of years ago and I just checked it on line and it says 'suspended' but the FAQ are hopless and go on about reactivating it if you've lost it or damaged it.

So will just adding a transit pass reactivate it or should I just get a new one when I arrive in May, register it and then use the $5 credit to reduce the cost of the $28 7 day pass?

Ta.

Just looked at mine - should be OK if you reload

If buying a 3 day pass, can I buy the ventra card at ORD ? Can the pass be used on all modes in ORD including the L?
I had hopes for the app but that seems buggy on iOS that I prefer avoiding it.

You can buy the passes at every Ventra Vending Machine, including those at O'Hare. The pass is valid for all CTA buses and trains, that includes the L.

More info here.

The Ventra app is only good for checking your balance, adding to the fare value and buying passes. You must have a Ventra card registered on the app to do that. You can't pay with the app. If you want to use your phone to pay the fare, you need to load the Ventra card onto Apple Wallet or Google Pay.

You can buy a virtual Ventra card right in the app and add passes to it, too.

You can also just tap your phone/contactless credit card to pay.

That I know; however, it takes considerably longer to process the payment as opposed to tapping the card. My wife lost/misplaced her Ventra card, so my daughter loaded it for her to Apple Wallet from the app. It is noticeably slower to process the payment and get the green Go light.

That reminds me, the I'm down to $1,25 on the card after my latest ride from ORD into the city. Better load it right now than do it when I board the L or a bus tomorrow.