The Ventra app hits the streets—or the tracks, perhaps—this week. Steven Vance of Streetsblog Chicago has already tested the new tool.
Steven Vance provides a positive assessment of the new Ventra app, which he says will make it easier for Metra riders to pay fares—whether they are grizzled transit veterans or casual riders.
"The best thing about the app is that it allows you to buy tickets and passes via your smartphone," writes Vance. "That means no waiting in line at a ticket booth, using an ill-designed ticket vending machine, or paying a surcharge on board. That’s a big plus if you’re rushing to catch a train and don’t have time to buy a ticket at the station."
Vance's had early access to the app as a member of the user testing group. His hopes for the new app: that the ease of payment reduces at least one barrier to transit use, and gets more people onboard. Vance also provides a play-by-play of a test run he gave the app on "a Metra excursion" to the South Deering neighborhood.
FULL STORY: The New Ventra App Will Make Metra Easier to Ride For Millions of People
Opinion: Improved Commuter Rail Services Would Better Serve Chicago’s South Side Residents
The city’s South Side residents need more transit options, but an extension of the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line would be a costly and less effective alternative.
Advocating for Reduced Transit Fairs for Low-Income Riders in Chicago
A new report by the Active Transportation Alliance builds the case for reduced transit fares on all three transit systems in the Chicago region.
Three Ways Mobile Transit Payments Will Change How We Move in Cities
One idea for how to make transit better is rolling out in cities across the country: mobile payment of fares on smartphones.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
Restoring Northern India’s Himalayan ‘Water Temples’
Thousands of centuries-old buildings protect the region’s natural springs and serve as community wells and gathering places.
Milwaukee to Double Bike Share Stations
Bublr Bikes, one of the nation’s most successful, will add 500 new e-bikes to its system.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service