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The Ventra smart phone app is off to a fast start. By mid-afternoon Thursday, the first day it was available to the general public, more than 20,000 people had downloaded the free app and it was the #3 trending app at The App Store.
Passengers might notice extra security when boarding the train during the morning commute on Monday.
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.
A person on a CTA Red Line train was injured in a shooting on the Dan Ryan Expressway near 95th Street Sunday morning, according to Illinois State Police.
The Chicago Cubs' game against the Toronto Blue Jays that had been planned for Sunday was postponed due to the rain coming in.
Would-be burglars crashed their way into a Circle K store in downtown Chicago early Sunday morning.
Detectives from Lake County, Illinois, Sheriff's office rescued a girl under 14 from a grown man who had traveled from Georgia to meet her this weekend, authorities said Sunday.
Zooniverse at the Adler Planetarium allows the everyday person to contribute directly to real scientific research.
The Altoids were a callback to a viral moment between former first lady Michelle Obama and former President George W. Bush.
A senior Justice Department official called a judge's demand for a declaration on the status of the "anti-weaponization" fund "unnecessary."
Trump has appeared during the Iran war to lose patience with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who may now find himself "stuck."
President Trump and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni traded criticism on Saturday after Italy canceled its envoy's visit to the U.S.
The Justice Department says it's released "every document required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act," but CBS News has identified numerous gaps.
An Illinois law banning "swipe fees" on taxes and tips — already delayed twice by lawmakers — appears to be on life support after a federal judge that once permitted it issued a permanent injunction against it this week.
A new study from the Cook County Treasurer's office underlines growing concerns about the impact the Illinois megaprojects bill could have on the county's property tax base and overall fiscal health.
As thousands of Chicagoans wrap up road trips over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, gas prices in the city have reached the highest levels seen in four years.
Consumer and environmental advocates said Monday that they found overcharges buried in the most recent rate-hike request by Nicor.
One week away from Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of the summer travel season, with gas prices remaining high, negotiations were set to resume Monday at the largest oil refinery in the Midwest.
Illinois is among the top 13 states seeing a rise in alpha-gal syndrome cases, with residents living in southern Illinois at the highest risk, according to a 2025 study.
After Bruce Willis was diagnosed with dementia, his wife Emma Heming Willis found a new purpose as a health advocate.
The North Shore suburb of Wilmette this week became the latest Chicago-area municipality to discover mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus this year.
Dr. Peter Stafford was working with a missionary group in the Congo when he came down with the virus last month.
While 330 Ebola infections are confirmed in central Africa and huge challenges remain, hundreds more suspected cases "have been cleared out," the WHO says.
Daley's Restaurant, known as Chicago's oldest, has served Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood for more than 130 years.
Walgreens is set to close in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood on Thursday, and there's growing concern about where families will get their medications.
The owners of Gene & Georgetti steakhouse are suing a concessions operator over their expansion at Midway International Airport.
DraftKings announced Monday that it is closing its sportsbook operation at Wrigley Field after only about two years.
After more than 80 years, there will be no Ann Sather restaurant location in the 900 block of West Belmont Avenue in Chicago's Lakeview community, effective in June.
Claude Guillemot and a flight instructor were flying in a twin-motor Cessna 421 on Friday evening. An investigation into the crash is underway.
James Burrows directed more than 1,000 episodes of television, including every episode of the original "Will & Grace."
In a full circle moment, actor Gary Cole returns to the very same local stage where he began his professional acting career.
Record producer Tay Keith was found dead in his Nashville home by officers performing a welfare check, police said.
Tom Dreesen, a pioneering actor and comedian and Chicago-area native, died Wednesday.
Major issues will be discussed, including the Strait of Hormuz, the Iran nuclear program, and fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Wendy Gillette reports.
Zooniverse said it is close to reaching 1 billion classifications. Joining Jackie Kostek is Laura Trouille, vice president of science engagement and visualization at the Adler and a lead for Zooniverse.
Jackie Kostek covered the Obama Presidential Center opening for several days and was stunned by the campus, and Carl Lam — an orchestral violinist himself — was more than impressed by a performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Elizabeth Elie, better known as Lizzie G, has been emceeing the fun on John Lewis Plaza at the Obama Center in Jackson Park since Friday. She joins Jackie Kostek.
This summer reading season, “The Summer Girlfriend” might be a pick for a romantic read on the beach. The book is by USAToday bestselling author of adult and teen books Kristina Forest, who joins Megan De Mar.
A person on a CTA Red Line train was injured in a shooting on the Dan Ryan Expressway near 95th Street Sunday morning.
A shooting that sent three people to the hospital after a large gathering on the city's West Side.
A 17-year-old boy was in police custody Sunday morning after a shooting that left another teen dead in the South Austin neighborhood on Chicago's West Side.
The Chicago Cubs' game against the Toronto Blue Jays that had been planned for Sunday was postponed due to the rain coming in.
Would-be burglars crashed their way into a Circle K store in downtown Chicago early Sunday morning.
Newly released cell phone video of a police shooting in south suburban Country Club Hills appears to contradict what a federal agent claims happened during an undercover gun trafficking sting operation last week.
"A house of horrors." That's how one former Chicago foster child described Aunt Martha's Integrated Care Center, a facility that's been at the center of a years-long CBS News Chicago investigation.
Kindbody entered into an agreement with a cryogenic storage facility in Massachusetts, but not all patients received the email.
A Chicago woman says a life insurance policy she paid into for 25 years was cancelled over a $112 shortfall that she never knew existed, and now, at 82 years old, she's uninsurable.
The Crisis Alternative Response Evanston, or CARE, team responds to calls that, before July 2024, would have been lumped into police calls.
The Chicago Cubs' game against the Toronto Blue Jays that had been planned for Sunday was postponed due to the rain coming in.
Dallas chipped away and trailed 43-38 at halftime, but the Sky dominated the third quarter and led 71-57 before losing for the 10th time in 11 games.
Chicago's Jacob Webb (1-2) came on with two on in the eighth and gave up consecutive RBI singles to Alejandro Kirk and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to tie the game at 5-all.
Troy Melton allowed one hit in six innings and the Detroit Tigers' offense came alive late in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Matt Vierling and Kerry Carpenter hit home runs to lift the Detroit Tigers past the Chicago White Sox 4-3.
A person on a CTA Red Line train was injured in a shooting on the Dan Ryan Expressway near 95th Street Sunday morning, according to Illinois State Police.
Would-be burglars crashed their way into a Circle K store in downtown Chicago early Sunday morning.
Detectives from Lake County, Illinois, Sheriff's office rescued a girl under 14 from a grown man who had traveled from Georgia to meet her this weekend, authorities said Sunday.
A man was robbed on a Chicago Transit Authority bus in Chicago's West Englewood community late Saturday night.
A 17-year-old boy was in police custody Sunday morning after a shooting that left another teen dead in the South Austin neighborhood on Chicago's West Side.
