Chicago transit help

[Exvalley]

I will be in Chicago this weekend, and would like to purchase a weekend (Saturday & Sunday) $10 pass. I will be arriving in the city at Union Station.

I have downloaded the Ventra app, but I have to confess that it's somewhat confusing. I assumed that I could just purchase the weekend pass in the app, but it seems that I have to buy a Ventra card and register the card in the app? Is this correct? If so, is there a convenient place to buy a card in Union Station or in the Clinton CTA station?

In the alternative, if I just use my contactless credit card at the turnstile, is the system smart enough to cap my charges at $10 for the weekend?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

 

[jebr]

The $10 weekend pass is only for METRA. You can buy it in the Ventra app, but it'll do nothing for you when traveling on CTA.

CTA has a $5 24-hour pass or a $15 72-hour pass. The 24-hour pass can be purchased directly at CTA rail station vending machines, either via a Ventra ticket (cannot be reloaded) or on a $5 Ventra card (the $5 is returned as fare credit when registered in the app or online.) You can also load a Ventra card to mobile wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.) and manage those with the Ventra app without the physical card. The physical cards are available from the ticket machines - I think there's one at Union Station near the METRA ticket counters; if not, the Clinton station will have one.

If you use a contactless card it'll charge you the pay-as-you-go rate. It'll calculate the proper transfer rates, but won't automatically do day passes.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

https://chicagounionstation.com/information/station-map

 

[Exvalley]

The $10 weekend pass is only for METRA. You can buy it in the Ventra app, but it'll do nothing for you when traveling on CTA.

Ah... thanks for catching that.

 

[Exvalley]

https://chicagounionstation.com/information/station-map

Oddly enough, that location did not come up when I put the address into CTA's website.

 

[MARC Rider]

I couldn't figure out how to buy Metra tickets with Ventra, so I just went to the ticket counter and bought an old-fashioned paper ticket with cash. I did use the app to charge up my Ventra card with a multi-day CTA pass.

 

[John Bredin]

Metra tickets are in the app itself. You buy them, but then you have to go your list of available tickets and press the "use" button to have the ticket display on your screen so the conductor can see it. Once you've used a ticket, there's a button to open it up again if the app or your phone has fallen asleep when the conductor comes around.

 

[MARC Rider]

Metra tickets are in the app itself. You buy them, but then you have to go your list of available tickets and press the "use" button to have the ticket display on your screen so the conductor can see it. Once you've used a ticket, there's a button to open it up again if the app or your phone has fallen asleep when the conductor comes around.

Oh, they work kind of like the MARC tickets do on the MTA Maryland Cham Pass App.

 

[Deni]

I couldn't figure out how to buy Metra tickets with Ventra, so I just went to the ticket counter and bought an old-fashioned paper ticket with cash. I did use the app to charge up my Ventra card with a multi-day CTA pass.

What sucks is Metra changed it so you can't buy the $10 weekend pass on paper anymore, only available through the Ventra app. That seems discriminatory to me, those who don't own a smart phone can't get the discount fare. Same goes for the weekday passes they've introduced.

 

[John Bredin]

There's still a $7 Saturday-Sunday pass on paper, but it's good for one day, not both. Metra website.

 

[denmarks]

I have had a Ventra card for years and will use it again this April. I believe that when I first obtained it a few years ago I just paid the $20 for a 72 hour pass. It was mailed to me. They recently changed the card from a major debit card to their own. There was a big sale last year where a 72 hour pass was $10. That is what I now have. The card is only good on the CTA subways, els, and busses.

 

[trainman74]

I have downloaded the Ventra app, but I have to confess that it's somewhat confusing. I assumed that I could just purchase the weekend pass in the app, but it seems that I have to buy a Ventra card and register the card in the app? Is this correct? If so, is there a convenient place to buy a card in Union Station or in the Clinton CTA station?

You don't need to have a physical Ventra card if you're using the app -- the first time you buy a fare through the app, it will create a "virtual" card for you, and you'll just do everything with your smartphone, or smartwatch if you have one (tap it on the readers at CTA turnstiles, etc.).

I agree that the instructions in the app and on the Ventra website are confusing about this -- I have experience with this from when I went to Chicago for the Gathering last October. But I bought a 7-day pass in advance using the app, never had a physical card, and it worked flawlessly.

 

[Deni]

There's still a $7 Saturday-Sunday pass on paper, but it's good for one day, not both. Metra website.

I know, that's what pisses me off. No smart phone and a weekend pass costs you $14 instead of $10.

 

[NorthShore]

I know, that's what pisses me off. No smart phone and a weekend pass costs you $14 instead of $10.

To think they were 5 then 6 bucks just a few years ago. This is why Metra needs to move to a Proof of Payment system, with the ability to add fares to a physical Ventra card at every station.

 

[Exvalley]

You don't need to have a physical Ventra card if you're using the app -- the first time you buy a fare through the app, it will create a "virtual" card for you, and you'll just do everything with your smartphone, or smartwatch if you have one (tap it on the readers at CTA turnstiles, etc.).

Okay, I am stumped. When I click on "Tickets" (on the bottom right), all it allows me to do is purchase a METRA ticket. I don't see an option to purchase a CTA ticket or pass.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Quick question... if you buy a Metra ticket with cash on board the train, does the Conductor still "punch" the fair and date into the old-fashioned paper ticket? If so.. that's worth the surcharge to me! One of my favorite train tickets in my collection. (no surcharge if you board at a station without a working machine / ticket counter).

 

[Trogdor]

Okay, I am stumped. When I click on "Tickets" (on the bottom right), all it allows me to do is purchase a METRA ticket. I don't see an option to purchase a CTA ticket or pass.

It’s kind of stupid (because the Chicago transit agencies will only get dragged kicking and screaming into cooperating with each other, so they do the least amount possible, but that’s a rant for a different day).

Tickets are only for Metra. And the only way to buy a Metra ticket with Ventra is through the App. Metra does not take the Ventra card, just the app fare payment.

If you want to buy CTA fares, you have to go to the Cards section of the app, and choose “Add CTA/Pace fare.” Then you can choose to add transit value, which is pay-as-you-go (single ride fares with up to two transfers per fare), or add a transit pass, which would be the CTA multi-day pass.

You can buy Metra tickets with your transit value balance using the app (and only the app, no in-station Ventra/Metra ticketing), but that’s about the only crossover between CTA and Metra in the Ventra system.

 

[Exvalley]

Thanks for the help. The app is NOT intuitive. Thanks to this thread, I finally figured it out:
1) Click on "Cards" (bottom of the screen).
2) Click the symbol on the top right of the screen that is an outline of a card with a plus sign on top.
3) Click "Add Ventra Card to Apple Wallet."
4) Name your card.
5) Click "Continue."
6) Select "Add transit value" or "Add a transit pass".
7) Choose the amount of value or type of transit pass.
8) Choose your payment method.
9) Pay.

I then added the Ventra card to my Apple Wallet.

So now my 1-day pass says that it is "in-queue." I assume this means that it will work automatically when I hold my phone up to the reader and will be activated then?

EDIT: I found the answer to my question on the website:
When you load a pass into your account, it’ll go into your pass queue and won’t be activated until it’s needed to cover your fare. The pass becomes active as soon as it’s needed to pay for a ride—not the moment you buy it.

Active passes are used first, so you are able to add additional passes to your “pass queue,” and know they’ll be held until needed to cover your fare. This way, you can buy a pass before you need it.

 

[Exvalley]

One final question. A 1-day CTA pass is $5. A single fare originating from O'Hare is $5.

Can you use a 1-day pass to originate travel on the Blue Line at O'Hare?

 

[jebr]

One final question. A 1-day CTA pass is $5. A single fare originating from O'Hare is $5.

Can you use a 1-day pass to originate travel on the Blue Line at O'Hare?

Yes.

 

[Exvalley]

Yes.

Normally I don't need an extra trip when coming in from O'Hare, but it is worth getting the 1-day pass just in case.

 

[NorthShore]

Quick question... if you buy a Metra ticket with cash on board the train, does the Conductor still "punch" the fair and date into the old-fashioned paper ticket? If so.. that's worth the surcharge to me! One of my favorite train tickets in my collection. (no surcharge if you board at a station without a working machine / ticket counter).

Yes. But don't do that downtown, where ticket agents will sell you a ticket labeled for the zone to which you're traveling (marked with a big B or E or whatever) as it will cost an extra surcharge. If anything, get both for your collection...one outbound the other inbound. Or I can just mail you something from the too many I've saved.