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Getting around Chicago on public transportation is about to get a lot easier. The CTA, Metra, and Pace have announced a new app that will allow riders to pay for fares on all three systems using their mobile devices.
The increases are tucked into 2016 budgets that the Metra and Pace boards approved unanimously in separate votes Wednesday.
A woman was hospitalized after her SUV crashed into a Pace bus Tuesday morning in north suburban Winnetka.
The Regional Transportation Authority is discussing an end to most reduced and free rides, should Gov. Bruce Rauner's proposed cuts to mass transit funding come true.
Fares may be going up for Pace suburban bus riders who use cash.
Travel to and from Skokie by CTA won't be Swift for a while, after an embankment crumbled, falling away completely from the tracks. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) said Tuesday that it will take "several weeks to complete this (repair) work properly."
CTA spokesperson Tammy Chase said the area's transit agencies are going to bring in between 20 and 30 experienced beta testers from the Smart Chicago Collaborative's Civic User Testing Group to iron out those problems that exist.
There's some restlessness, but overall, Chicago-area mass transit users remain satisfied with service overall, despite delays, breakdowns, crowding and fare hikes, reports WBBM's Bob Roberts.
The region's top transit official warned Thursday that CTA, Metra, and Pace fare hikes and service cuts would be "difficult to avoid" if the legislature enacts budget cuts proposed in Gov. Bruce Rauner's budget.
A Regional Transportation Authority analysis released Thursday has determined that the CTA, Metra and Pace face $36.4 billion in capital needs over the next 10 years.
The Pace suburban bus system is dreaming big – $2.3 billion big – trying to get in on potential federal funding down the line for some of the system's long-term projects.
CTA bus ridership is down and the transit agency is offering a lot of reasons why.
Metra riders are used to carrying a ticket and tucking that paper under the metal tab in front of you. But CBS 2's Ed Curran says a new app will soon let you buy a ticket for Metra on your phone and keep it there.
Pace is the first Chicago-area transit agency to unveil its 2015 budget -- and it's good news for riders.
Heavy rains have caused major flooding across much of the Chicago area overnight, especially in the southwest suburbs, where at least two school districts were forced to cancel classes at all its schools.
Pace has decided to "go slow" with plans to increase the number of buses riding the shoulder on I-55.
More buses could be riding the shoulders of I-55 next month.
The CTA and Pace say they're not aware of any problems with the final changeover to Ventra cards. WBBM's Bob Roberts spoke with both agencies.
The Regional Transportation Authority may not even be around in a few months, yet it has just signed a 38-month, $5 million advertising contract targeting markets that have eluded the area's transit agencies.
Pace wants to make it easier this summer for CTA riders to get to the Brookfield Zoo.
More than 200 people lined up at the Jefferson Park branch library to make the switch Thursday. A few elderly customers said they merely waited until CTA came to them, because the trip to CTA headquarters in the West Loop was too much.
CTA officials said 86 percent of its fares are now paid with a Ventra card, and the agency is pushing the last of its riders to make the switch to Ventra. Pace riders have been slower to make the change, with about 60 percent of the suburban bus agency's fares paid with Ventra cards.
RTA Chairman John Gates said he wants the agency to concentrate on what he considers doable -- and said his priority remains finding new money for capital repairs and rehabilitation.
The polar vortex has blown a hole in the CTA and Pace budgets, but neither agency is pushing the panic button yet.
When Ventra was first unveiled in September, there were massive teething problems.
A 70-year-old grandmother from the Philippines who was facing deportation on Friday morning has been allowed to remain in the country, after her removal was because of immediate medical concerns.
A man who won big at Bally's Chicago casino but didn't get paid because of his immigration status says he has finally gotten his winnings.
A woman now faces arson charges after a fire at a Walmart in Woodstock, Illinois.
A 13-year-old girl is in critical condition after a fire in the West Englewood neighborhood, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
A downstate community has come together to help a nonprofit that was targeted by burglars on Christmas Day.
House Democrats will also be holding a hearing on the five-year mark of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.
"We are removing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland," President Trump announced.
A recently released cache of security videos is raising new questions about the prison cameras at the facility where Jeffrey Epstein died in his cell in 2019.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Cmdr. Greg Bovino sparred on social media this week, after the mayor endorsed "ABOLISH ICE" as a possible name for a Chicago snowplow.
Two separate court hearings was held Wednesday to try to stop the sudden loss of $60 million in funding for Illinois after-school programs.
As this holiday season nears its end, Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias issued a warning Tuesday about text scams.
A new report shines a light on electricity shortages that Illinois could face in less than 10 years.
With less than two weeks until Christmas, if you're sending gifts to people far from home, the deadlines to get them there on time are fast approaching.
A condo owner in Country Club Hills says he's forced to sell his home after his condo association failed to reimburse him for repairs to his leaking roof. Edward Hadnott's condo has sat empty since a major roof leak in 2022.
The U.S. stopped minting pennies this week, and some groups have issued a warning about the headaches that can create for some businesses and consumers.
Millions of people with an Affordable Care Act health plan face a massive jump in premiums next year — this chart shows just how much.
It's the holiday season, which means it's the most common time of year for norovirus to spread. Here's what you need to know about this winter stomach bug.
A study conducted in part by Chicago's Northwestern Medicine found that tanning beds not only triple the risk of melanoma, but can also damage DNA across nearly the whole skin surface.
An investigation into the case of a Michigan man who contracted rabies after an organ transplant provided more details on the infection's origin.
The newest measles vaccination numbers released by Chicago Public Schools shows immunizations are finally moving in the right direction.
American Airlines announced Monday that it is adding 100 more departures from Chicago early next year as it continues its expansion at O'Hare International Airport.
The Chicago Bears are expanding their search for a new stadium to Northwest Indiana, even though they already own land in Arlington Heights and have also proposed a new lakefront stadium in Chicago.
A Culver's is coming to Chicago's South Loop, a real estate broker has confirmed.
A new vision for passenger rail is on track in southeastern Wisconsin. The MARK Passenger Rail Commission held its inaugural meeting on December 5, 2025, at Racine City Hall.
U.S. Steel says it'll resume making steel slabs at its Granite City Works plant in Illinois amid strengthening demand.
Isiah Whitlock Jr. is perhaps best known for his role as state Sen. R. Clayton "Clay" Davis on HBO's "The Wire."
It marks the second lawsuit in recent months accusing the filmmaker and studio mogul of leveraging his power in Hollywood to make sexual advances.
The band announced Perry Bamonte's death on their official website on Friday.
The message, aired on Channel 4 on Christmas Day, reflected on the impact of President Trump's second term in office thus far.
The singer said an MRI showed a cancerous spot on one of his lungs after he recovered from a lengthy bout of bronchitis.
Chief meteorologist Albert Ramon has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
The Great American Dog Show is in Tinley Park this weekend, with an AKC competition and lots of new products and services for the dog in your family.
A man who won big at Bally's Chicago casino but didn't get paid because of his immigration status says he has finally gotten his winnings.
An 18-year-old is now charged in an alleged New Year's Eve terror attack plot in North Carolina. Federal investigators said the teen was planning to use knives and hammers to kill people in a Charlotte suburb.
Audits completed in the past 10 years show that Minnesota has lacked the teeth to properly vet attendance records and go after possible fraudsters proactively.
A 13-year-old girl is in critical condition after a fire in the West Englewood neighborhood, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
A 70-year-old grandmother from the Philippines who was facing deportation on Friday morning has been allowed to remain in the country, after her removal was because of immediate medical concerns.
A 7-year-old boy was shot in the arm when another child got their hands on a gun Thursday night in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.
A man who won big at Bally's Chicago casino but didn't get paid because of his immigration status says he has finally gotten his winnings.
A woman now faces arson charges after a fire at a Walmart in Woodstock, Illinois.
As thousands of people are expected downtown for New Year's Eve celebrations, Mayor Johnson, the Chicago police, and the Office of Emergency Management and Communications are trying to get out ahead of any safety concerns.
Cameras not working, video evidence missed by police and a psychic that leads a hit and run victim's son to a clue that changes the case
Some Chicago area hospitals are at risk of significant flooding both in and around the buildings, according to new KFF Health News/Fathom models.
Lawmakers in Springfield are looking to address the high water bills being reported in some suburbs from customers of Illinois American Water.
Electric bills in the Chicago area could go up as much as $70 in the next three years because of data centers, according to the Citizens Utility Board.
Ilya Mikheyev had two goals and the Chicago Blackhawks handed the Dallas Stars their fourth consecutive loss with a 4-3 victory.
No. 1 Indiana became the first team in the brief history of the 12-team College Football Playoff to win a game after receiving a first-round bye, smothering Alabama 38-3 in a quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl.
Isaac Okoro scored a season-high 24 points, Tre Jones added 20 points and 12 assists and the depleted Chicago Bulls topped the New Orleans Pelicans 134-118.
Chicago had a chance to win in regulation, but Nick Foligno shot the puck off a post on a prime scoring opportunity in the final seconds.
Former Oregon and Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly has been hired as Northwestern's offensive coordinator.
Esther Jane Stephen, a high school softball coach, was arrested in 2020 in the fatal shooting of her former fiancé Shea Briar in Jay County, Indiana. Prosecutors say Stephen, known as E.J., had attempted to kill him before with a drink laced with ibuprofen.
As overall crime continued to drop in Chicago in 2025, the city ended the year with the fewest homicides in 60 years.
A teen has been charged with armed robbery, after an online marketplace meetup turned deadly earlier this week in west suburban Cicero.
A teenager was killed and another person was wounded in a shootout Wednesday afternoon in Cicero, after a robbery attempt during a social media marketplace sale, police said.
A man was left in critical condition Wednesday when someone opened fire from a vehicle in broad daylight in the North Lawndale neighborhood on Chicago's West Side.
