Trip Tools
Transit Tracking and Trip Planning are all in one place in the new Ventra app so you can plan your trip across CTA, Metra, Pace and even use Divvy stations in just a few taps.
Nearby transit stops and estimated arrival/departure times
Visit the Trip Tools section to see your location on a map, a list of nearby bus and train services, as well as nearby Divvy (bikeshare) stations, along with estimated arrival and departure times.
The map starts at your location and shows nearby transit options. You can move the map to get information about service near another place on the map and get back by pressing the button in the upper right of the map.
Get the most out of this view of nearby transit:
- Under the map, you can choose what’s shown below—tap an icon to show all transit or filter by rail, bus or bikes
- Pull up the stop list to reveal more stops and stations near you (they’re listed in order of distance from where the map is centered)
- Tap on any listing to get to more information, like to view more arrivals and set a stop as a “favorite” or to zoom in on a bike station and undock a bike
- Search for a specific stop by name (tap the box at the top to search, then enter the stop or station name)
- Choose your stop from a list of stops on your route (tap the box at the top, then enter a route number or name
- Tip: Want to pick your stop from a list like in the old app? Tap the search box and then “Find route/stop manually”—once you find your stop, you can also make it a favorite so it shows right on the app’s home screen.
Planning a trip
You can get step-by-step directions in the Trip Tools section of the app. Tap the search box at the top, enter an address or destination name (such as a landmark, restaurant or other destination) and search. You can also move the map to a location and press the button in the lower right to get directions to that point on the map from where you are.
Favorite stops' arrival/departure times
Estimated arrivals/departures for your favorite stops are shown right on the home screen when you open the app.
To mark a stop as a favorite, find it in the Trip Tools section of the app and mark it as a favorite. Here’s how:
- From the Trip Tools screen, find your stop in the list of nearby stops (if you’re not near the favorite stop you want to add, you can recenter the map or find it using the search box at the top of the Trip Tools screen).
- Tap your stop to expand the list item and show more info.
- Tap View Line.
- Tap the heart icon in the upper right.
- Tip: If this is a stop shared between routes and you want to favorite all arrivals at this stop, tap the "show all" button at the bottom, first, and then tap the heart icon in the upper right.
Favorite locations
You can set locations as favorites in the app so you can get quick directions to them right form the app’s home screen.
To do this, go to the Trip Tools section of the app and tap the favorite (heart) button in the upper left corner of the map while the map is centered on the location you want to set as a favorite.
This can be your current location, a point on the map you center the map on or an address or destination you’ve first searched for using the search box.
Service alerts
An exclamation icon (!) will appear next to a stop, service or list of arrivals if there's been an alert posted that may impact your travel. To see details, simply tap the bubble (alert availability may vary by agency).
Divvy
Nearby Divvy stations can now be found in the new Ventra app, including how many open docks there are and how many bikes are available. Bike and dock availability are shown in the list of nearby stops/stations in Trip Tools based on where the map is centered.
To see a station on the map and get a bike, select a Divvy station from the Trip Tools list and tap "view on map.”
If this is a station you’d like to get a bike from, you can tap “Get a bike” and the Ventra app will send you directly to the Divvy app to unlock a bike. Please note, the Ventra App does not currently show Divvy e-bikes. We are working on adding e-bikes to the Ventra App, and will launch this functionality soon.
Learn more about how to get a Divvy bike.
System maps
In the new Ventra app, you can view maps for CTA, Metra and Pace for all three services by going to the "Options" menu.
Tap the Options Menu (three vertical dots in the upper right of most main screens of the app) then select Maps to see a list of what’s available.