Watch CBS News
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.
Getting around the city can be difficult due to the traffic, winding roads and constant construction. Let go of the stress and take advantage of the many different options for public transportation in Chicago.
The incident happened about 3:45 p.m. outside Loyola University Medical Center when a red Nissan Sentra traveling southbound on 1st Avenue veered into the northbound lane and struck a Pace bus carrying five passengers.
An Oak Forest man was killed and three other people were hurt in a head-on crash involving a Pace bus Wednesday morning in southwest suburban Romeoville.
CTA is a lot happier now with the Ventra farecard than it was even a month ago. But CTA President Forrest Claypool said Wednesday that the final phase-out of old fare cards is at least two months off.
Illinois State Police said the bus was driving on the left shoulder of the northbound lanes of the Stevenson, when it crashed with two other vehicles near Harlem Avenue.
Amalgamated Transit Union Division 308 President Robert Kelly said the employees he represents are getting verbal abuse daily.
The agreement kept intact the historic division of the supposedly discretionary funds: 98 percent to the CTA, 2 percent to Pace, while essentially forgiving a $56 million loan to the CTA that CTA has characterized as a grant and offering Metra $2 million for capital projects.
Pace is the first of the area's transit systems to unveil a proposed 2014 budget, and it holds the line on most fares while promising additional service.
Pace employees will be staged at 14 transit stations in the city during the next two weeks in an effort to inform customers about fare policy changes.
On Monday, Ventra cards will begin replacing the familiar plastic and paper fare cards with magnetic stripes, which CTA and Pace customers have been using for years.
Gov. Pat Quinn has appointed former U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald and former CTA Board chair Carole Brown to a panel tasked with recommending reforms for the Chicago area's public transit agencies, in the wake of patronage allegations at Metra.
A government watchdog group said Wednesday that the resignations of two Regional Transportation Authority board members this week pointed to larger, troubling issues for the Chicago area's transit agencies.
Pace is looking to expand its popular Call-n-Ride program.
The Ventra card allows riders to use a single card for CTA and Pace transportation, according to a CTA release.
Democratic candidate for governor Bill Daley said the Regional Transportation Authority – which oversees the finances of CTA, Pace and Metra – has reached the end of the line, and should be eliminated.
CTA Ventra payment card holders who use the card's controversial debit features won't be charged for talking to public transit customer service operators or using the cards for cash ATM withdrawals under new fee rollbacks revealed Thursday.
More shoulder-riding Pace buses begin to roam I-55 beginning Monday. WBBM's Bob Roberts says an even bigger expansion may be in the works.
One of the hassles of riding the bus is the dash to get to the corner, several blocks away, to catch it.
The crash involved a van or minibus that crashed into a tree.
A Pace bus traveling south swerved to avoid a pedestrian and crashed into a light pole in the 4600 block of South Halsted Street.
Money Network, one of the company's behind the new Ventra transit and debit card, currently has an F rating with the Better Business Bureau. CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports.
Thunderstorms return to the Chicago area on Friday.
Who you gonna call if someone locks you out of your own charity? That's the question members of a Ghostbusters-themed nonprofit say they're asking.
As some communities across the country are choosing to end their relationship with Flock Safety and its license plate readers over privacy and police misuse concerns, several Chicago suburbs are renewing their use of the controversial police tool.
A dog was presumed dead after a coyote snatched it from a yard and carried it into the woods on Thursday afternoon in north suburban Lake Bluff.
Grant Holmes took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Austin Riley doubled and singled to drive in Atlanta's runs, and the Braves topped the Chicago White Sox 2-0 on Thursday to end a three-game slide.
Federal prosecutors on Thursday told a judge they aren't yet ready to say whether they'll retry the lead defendants in the "ComEd Four" case who were convicted in 2023 of bribing former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
The Democratic National Committee is on the hunt for the best host city for the 2028 Democratic convention.
There was a big turnout in Springfield on Wednesday to celebrate retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois).
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign confirmed on Tuesday that it recieved a letter from the Department of Defense, which has announced "research security audits" at 30 universities nationwide.
The Justice Department is planning to deploy a record 1,000 federal monitors to polling places throughout the U.S. for the midterm elections.
A new Illinois law signed by Gov. Pritzker offers up to $1,000 to eligible homeowners hit by storm damage, but the money won't be available until next year — and the program only covers certain areas of Chicago.
Illinois is one of 46 states that have reached a $15.5 million settlement with a Pennsylvania-based mortgage servicer for improperly imposing new insurance policies on homeowners who already had insurance.
The Trump administration is taking aim at power grid operator PJM Interconnection over rising electricity bills that affect Illinois and Indiana residents.
Chicago remained the most bed bug-treated city in the country, according to Orkin's latest annual rankings covering a full year of residential and commercial treatment data.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul this week warned residents cleaning up from last month's storms to be on the lookout for scams.
Moderna and Merck announced study results that reflect a "landmark moment" in treatment for one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer.
Researchers from the University of Chicago have uncovered some information on how space travel affects — or actually doesn't affect — the heart.
As people age, it becomes crucial to do whatever possible to protect from issues like memory loss. But leading neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter said the process actually starts well before advanced age.
The Illinois Department of Public Health is not adopting new federal child vaccine guidelines and will continue following recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
In a wide-ranging interview with the CBS News partner BBC News, Hunter Biden grew emotional as he discussed his father's condition, describing it as very sad to watch.
Real estate investment and development firm Concord Capital has acquired nine apartment buildings on Elaine Place, a single-block residential street in Chicago's East Lakeview community.
The Chicago Plan Commission voted Thursday to approve a plan to redevelop Ford City Mall into an industrial complex, despite objections from some neighbors.
A new Barnes & Noble bookstore opened in the heart of downtown Chicago on Wednesday, while separately, a building that used to house an old Barnes & Noble store in the Gold Coast was being demolished.
The Original Rainbow Cone celebrated its 100th anniversary on Sunday with a special event at its Beverly location.
The Shops at North Bridge on the Magnificent Mile announced plans Thursday for a multimillion-dollar renovation project.
Madonna leads all artists with 11 nominations at this year's MTV VMAs, and a full sweep would tie her with Beyoncé and Taylor Swift for the most VMA wins in history.
Hayden Panettiere, who starred in "Remember the Titans" as a child actor and rose to fame in the series "Heroes," has died at the age of 36. The coroner's office says she was found in cardiac arrest.
Buddy Guy was honored with the Chicago Music Legend Award at the Obama Presidential Center's Chicago Culture Ball this weekend.
Bal Khabra is the author of the four-part series "Off the Ice," a college hockey romance collection that is wrapping up at just the right time.
Crews need about a week and a half to tear down the festival site before the city can begin its own inspection — and past cleanup costs have topped $1 million.
It's day eleven without power for tens of thousands of people in Northwest Indiana.
Meteorologist Laura Bannon has the extended forecast.
Chief meteorologist Albert Ramon has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
Who you gonna call if someone locks you out of your own charity? That's the question members of a Ghostbusters-themed nonprofit say they're asking.
As some communities across the country are choosing to end their relationship with Flock Safety and its license plate readers over privacy and police misuse concerns, several Chicago suburbs are renewing their use of the controversial police tool.
Thunderstorms return to the Chicago area on Friday.
Thousands of people in Northwest Indiana who recently got power back after last week's severe storms have lost service again.
Nine days after the storm that was to blame for it all, tens of thousands of people yet again woke up without power in Northwest Indiana on Thursday.
Who you gonna call if someone locks you out of your own charity? That's the question members of a Ghostbusters-themed nonprofit say they're asking.
As some communities across the country are choosing to end their relationship with Flock Safety and its license plate readers over privacy and police misuse concerns, several Chicago suburbs are renewing their use of the controversial police tool.
Who you gonna call if someone locks you out of your own charity? That's the question members of a Ghostbusters-themed nonprofit say they're asking.
Residents of Ogleby Towers on Wednesday morning spoke out about the system that constantly changes their rent, which they say makes it hard to budget.
CEO of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, Harley Johnson, gave CBS News Chicago an exclusive look inside the new park in South Chicago.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation last inspected South Chicago Chapel funeral home in October, 10 months before 56 decomposing bodies were found there.
The discovery of dozens of decomposing bodies at a Chicago funeral home run by a couple with a history of mishandling human remains has raised questions about how Illinois regulates the funeral home and crematory industries.
Grant Holmes took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Austin Riley doubled and singled to drive in Atlanta's runs, and the Braves topped the Chicago White Sox 2-0 on Thursday to end a three-game slide.
The Franklin County Coroner's Office says Jack Pugh died March 30 from acute bronchopneumonia caused by cardiomyopathy, a disease that weakens the heart's ability to pump blood.
José Urquidy pitched six innings of crisp, two-hit relief, rookie Braden Montgomery drove in two runs and the Chicago White Sox topped the crosstown Cubs 3-0 on Wednesday to salvage the finale of a three-game series at Wrigley Field.
Crow-Armstrong is the first player in MLB history with two leadoff home runs and a walk-off in a two-game span, and the 13th since 1900 to follow a walk-off homer with a leadoff shot.
NASCAR is calling off plans to bring its street race back to downtown Chicago in 2027, but is holding out hope for the event to return in the future.
Authorities in Kenosha County, Wisconsin apprehended three people this week after a pursuit that crossed state lines into Illinois.
Chicago police released surveillance video Thursday of a suspect in a shooting that left a CTA switch worker dead in the Roseland community back in June.
A Kane County, Illinois, man stood charged Thursday with gathering real pictures of children and using artificial intelligence to make them into pornography.
A man and woman were shot and killed in the middle of the day Wednesday on Chicago's West Side.
Federal officers found a moving pillowcase in a car that was seized at the U.S.-Mexico border. A collection of stolen exotic reptiles was inside.
