Apple Pay With Express Transit Mode Now Available in Chicago

The Chicago Transit Authority today announced that Ventra now supports Apple Pay with Express Transit mode, allowing the fare card to be added to the Wallet app on a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch for tap-and-go payment at train stations and on buses.

chicago ventra apple pay
Express Transit mode allows users to pay for rides without having to wake or unlock their iPhone or Apple Watch, or open the Ventra app. The mode also bypasses the need to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. Users simply need to hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near the contactless payment reader until a checkmark appears on the display.

With your Ventra Card on iPhone and Apple Watch it's easier than ever to get around on CTA and Pace. Just tap your iPhone or Apple Watch to pay for rides using transit value or passes. No fumbling to grab a separate transit card, open apps or even wake your device — it's that easy!

And get the same features of a Ventra Card on your iPhone and Apple Watch, including the ability to load and manage transit value and CTA and Pace passes, autoload, pre-tax transit benefits from your employer, account management features in the Ventra app and more!

How to add a Ventra card to the Wallet app:

  • Open the Ventra app on your iPhone and tap the "Cards" tab
  • Select the Ventra card you want to add
  • Press the "Add to Apple Wallet" button and follow the on-screen instructions

Special fare program cards, such as RTA Reduced Fare, Student Ventra cards, or U-Pass cards, cannot be added to the Wallet app at this time. It is also not possible to add a Ventra card to the Wallet app on more than one device at a time, according to the CTA, which says to add the card only to the iPhone or Apple Watch you wish to use when you ride.

After adding an existing Ventra card to the Wallet app, the plastic version will no longer be functional and cannot be reloaded.

Apple Pay with Express Transit mode went live in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. earlier this year, with other supported U.S. cities including New York and Portland.

(Thanks, Anthony!)

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

Top Rated Comments

Attirex Avatar
41 months ago
Mac related articles about transit = always good times spent reading comments from locals grousing and complaining about their particular system. :-)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DangerousDan Avatar
41 months ago
About damn time!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coffeemadmanUK Avatar
41 months ago
It's super useful on the London transport network!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iShater Avatar
41 months ago
What an excellent time to release it when most of us are not using it.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tmiw Avatar
41 months ago

Why didn't Apple do this for any of the Bayarea public transportation like Caltrain or BART or AC Transit?
It's up to the individual transit agency to support it, not Apple. And in the case of the Bay Area, the readers currently don't support anything other than the physical Clipper card (and no indication that it'll be supported any time soon).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JCoe13 Avatar
41 months ago
Finally after 2 years... This is a welcomed addition. I'll likely be waiting another ~year before I even get to try this out due to this dang pandemic.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6B34, up from the 6B32 firmware introduced in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update, but prior software releases ...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

'All-Screen' iPhone Under-Display Camera Enters Development

Wednesday December 6, 2023 2:03 am PST by
Apple's Korean suppliers have begun developing smartphone under-display cameras (UDC), paving the way for the first iPhone with a true "all-screen" appearance. According to The Elec, LG Innotek has entered the preliminary development of the UDC, which sits under the display and does not result in a visible hole in the panel when the camera is not in use. A UDC differs from a typical front ...
magsafe blue 2

iOS 17.2 Brings Qi2 Support to iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 Models

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:04 am PST by
The iOS 17.2 update that Apple is set to release to the public in the near future will bring support for the next-generation Qi2 wireless charging standard to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. Qi2 was mentioned in the release notes for the RC version of the update that came out today. With the addition of support for the new standard, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models will work with Qi2...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 May Reuse Existing iPhone 14 Battery

Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
airpods pro bulbs

Black Friday Prices Return for AirPods Pro 2 With USB-C, iPad, and More

Tuesday December 5, 2023 7:30 am PST by
Today we're tracking a collection of deals that are matching - or nearly matching - the same all-time low discounts we saw during Black Friday. This includes the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, 9th generation iPad, and M1 MacBook Air. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the ...
instagram messenger

Instagram and Facebook Messenger Chats to Disconnect This Month

Tuesday December 5, 2023 1:57 am PST by
Meta has revealed plans to end Instagram users' ability to chat with Facebook accounts later this month, rolling back a feature that it introduced over three years ago. In September 2020, Meta (then Facebook) announced it was merging its Facebook Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, allowing Instagram users to chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform....