Cubic Launches Ventra mobile app for Chicago public transport systems

Cubic Transportation Systems, in partnership with customers Chicago Transit Authority, suburban bus operator Pace and commuter rail Metra, has launched the Ventra Mobile App for public transport passengers in Chicago. The one-stop mobile app gives transit passengers who travel on CTA ‘L’ trains or buses, Pace or Metra commuter trains the ability to plan, manage and pay for their journeys for each of the region’s agencies. The companies say this is an industry first for fully integrated regional transit s
November 26, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
378 Cubic Transportation Systems, in partnership with customers 1000 Chicago Transit Authority, suburban bus operator Pace and commuter rail Metra, has launched the Ventra Mobile App for public transport passengers in Chicago.

The one-stop mobile app gives transit passengers who travel on CTA ‘L’ trains or buses, Pace or Metra commuter trains the ability to plan, manage and pay for their journeys for each of the region’s agencies. The companies say this is an industry first for fully integrated regional transit services, combining visually validated mobile ticketing for Metra with the Ventra account-based open payment system initially deployed to CTA and Pace.

Metra passengers can now purchase fares on their smartphones utilising partner GlobeSherpa’s mobile ticketing platform, allowing them to manage their Ventra accounts and use all three transit systems, and Metra conductors can now easily validate tickets on smartphones simply by asking customers to tap their phone’s screen.   

The app enables customer to manage their Ventra transit accounts, buy mobile tickets to ride Metra trains and receive notifications when their account balances are low or when unlimited-ride passes are due to expire. There is also an extensive Transit Tracker feature that enables customers to view schedules and arrival times for Metra, CTA and Pace. In a later phase, customers will be able to download a virtual Ventra Card onto their near-field communication-compatible mobile devices, allowing them to access their Ventra transit accounts to pay for rides on CTA trains and CTA and Pace buses directly from the Ventra mobile app by touching their smartphone or other mobile device to a Ventra reader.

The Ventra mobile app is available on Apple and Android smartphones and tablet devices via the App Store and Google Play.

Related Content

  • January 4, 2018
    Cubic wins contract to mobilize LA Metro TAP Fare Payment System
    Cubic Transportation Systems has been awarded a contract by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority (LA Metro), to deliver an integrated traveller app in support of the TAP regional contactless fare system. It is designed with the intention of allowing users to make a fare purchase, use their mobile device as a TAP card and complete their journey using transit, bikeshare, or other multimodal programs. It will also provide them with commute information. TAP links 24 transit agencies across the Los
    Read More
  • May 19, 2016
    Cubic’s Ventra system achieves one billion transactions in Chicago
    Cubic Transportation Systems’ (CTS) Ventra, the account-based open payment system launched in 2013 for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and suburban bus operator Pace, has processed more than one billion account-based journeys. CTA, with daily ridership of 1.6 million journeys, is the first major transit system in North America to implement account-based open payment and is Cubic’s first large-scale deployment of its NextAccount technology. Ventra supports both account-based processing through an a
    Read More
  • December 17, 2013
    Cloud-based app paves way for near field ticketing
    Cubic latest introduction provides a short cut for transit authorities looking to offer travellers mobile, smart phone payment options. Transit operators wanting to provide travellers with a mobile fare payment option now have an ‘off-the-shelf’ solution in Cubic’s NextWave. Through the use of near field communications (NFC) technology, NextWave turns travellers’ mobile phones and tablets into the equivalent of a ticket vending machine able to instantly re-load contactless transit cards. It also enables the
    Read More
  • December 15, 2014
    PPP helps speed Chicago’s transit fare upgrade
    David Crawford on a fast-tracked payment upgrade. This July saw the completion of the final stage of the implementation of Chicago’s new Ventra open fare payment system on the services of two of the region’s three transit providers, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and regional bus operator Pace. Ventra has been introduced to accept any contactless general purpose payment card, including personal debit and credit cards.
    Read More

Highlighted Content