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Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Daywatch: ‘Ghost buses' may no longer haunt riders
Good morning, Chicago. After years of rider complaints about 'ghost buses' — buses that show up on transit tracker apps but fail to arrive in real life — the CTA has started publicly sharing data about canceled bus runs. The data is available on the CTA's online bus tracker at CTA spokesperson Manny Gonzales said. The CTA has not yet started sharing canceled bus information on its ticketing app, Ventra, which also has a bus and train tracking function. Gonzales said the agency was working with the Ventra team to make the information available there. 'Hopefully this allows people to have a lot more confidence whenever they take CTA to know if and when their bus is coming,' Miller told the Tribune's Talia Soglin. Read the full story from the Tribune's Talia Soglin. Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including a look back at Chicago's role in the development of the atomic bomb, what Mayor Brandon Johnson said about the controversial pension sweetener for Chicago cops and firefighters and a transformed club scene featuring coffee. Today's eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History Hiroshima marked the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japanese city today, with many aging survivors expressing frustration about the growing support of global leaders for nuclear weapons as a deterrence. In the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV said that he was praying for those who suffered physical, psychological and social effects from the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, adding that the event remains 'a universal warning against the devastation caused by wars and, in particular, by nuclear weapons.' The Department of Health and Human Services will cancel contracts and pull funding for some vaccines that are being developed to fight respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and the flu. As Texas House Democrats hunker down in Illinois and other blue states to try to stop a Republican-led redistricting plan in their state, national Democrats and one of their hosts, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, ratcheted up their rhetoric yesterday, saying anything goes in the face of such Republican aggression. Mayor Brandon Johnson acknowledged a controversial pension sweetener for Chicago cops and firefighters signed into law late last week by Gov. JB Pritzker will significantly set back Chicago's fiscal health but maintained both his and the governor's hands were tied. For most of his adult life, Crosetti Brand terrorized and abused women, prosecutors said, until a brave 11-year-old boy stopped him for good. Not yet a teenager, Jayden Perkins was forced to protect his pregnant mother from a vicious attack on March 13, 2024, in their Edgewater apartment. Jayden died of his stab wounds, but his mother lived to later gave birth to his younger sister and testified against their assailant, helping to put Brand, 39, in prison for the rest of his life. Calling the slaying 'exceptionally brutal,' Judge Angela Petrone sentenced Brand yesterday to the maximum possible punishment, a life sentence plus an additional 120 years in prison following an emotional hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building. More Crime and Public Safety coverage: A proposed law on the governor's desk would expand the reach of personal injury lawyers, allowing them to file suit against any business operating in Illinois that exposes individuals to toxic substances — even if the company and the plaintiffs are based in another state. A day after taking an afternoon team-bonding trip to the beach, the Bears turned things up a notch and held their most intense practice of training camp yesterday afternoon. A physical two-hour session featured an abundance of live tackling and several skirmishes. The competitive tenacity was elevated from the start and didn't recede until after the final air horn blew. Here's a snapshot of all that occurred in Lake Forest. The move comes amid budgetary concerns at the city of Aurora, with Mayor John Laesch saying at a recent public meeting that the city is facing a 'significant hole' between revenue and expenses in 2026, and that the city has been giving the Aurora Civic Center Authority 'way too much.' However, Laesch told The Beacon-News that the Paramount is 'an important crown jewel in the city of Aurora,' and that he would 'work hard to make sure it doesn't shut down on my watch,' though it isn't close to doing that. He previously said that the Paramount is 'vital for our downtown' and, without it, many of the restaurants in downtown would likely end up closing. Imagine this: It is late afternoon. Rather than returning home from the series of errands you ran throughout the day to prepare for dinner or a late night dancing to techno in an underground bar, your main social event of the day has already begun. A rising DJ with an ever-growing social media following is playing a mix of contemporary R&B and underground Afrobeats. Millennials are commingling with Gen Xers and Gen Zers as the packed room overflows onto the street. And instead of sipping a gin and tonic or a beer, you're drinking a coffee by Tizoc red de Totutla from Puebla, Mexico. A startup recently profiled by Variety is promising an AI tool that will allow the average viewer to type in a few keywords and generate new episodes of a TV show either from scratch or 'based on an existing story-world someone else has created.' It won't be the only company to offer this kind of AI, but the service will apparently be free before eventually switching to a monthly subscription in the $10-$20 range. Users will also be able to share these 'new' shows on video platforms like YouTube. Tribune TV and film critic Nina Metz asks: Will people be allowed to monetize content that's really just a soulless, artificial version of pre-existing shows?
Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
‘Ghost buses' may no longer haunt riders, now that the CTA is publicly sharing data on canceled runs
After years of rider complaints about 'ghost buses' — buses that show up on transit tracker apps but fail to arrive in real life — the CTA has started publicly sharing data about canceled bus runs. The data is available on the CTA's online bus tracker at CTA spokesperson Manny Gonzales said. The CTA has not yet started sharing canceled bus information on its ticketing app, Ventra, which also has a bus and train tracking function. Gonzales said the agency was working with the Ventra team to make the information available there. The third-party Transit app has begun using the agency's data to alert riders when a scheduled bus has been canceled, the Chicago Sun-Times first reported Monday. The Transit app has been marking canceled bus runs with a strike-through, said the app's policy lead, Stephen Miller. 'Hopefully this allows people to have a lot more confidence whenever they take CTA to know if and when their bus is coming,' Miller told the Tribune. Over the last several years, ghost buses have been a source of frustration for some riders. Because the tracker apps rely on both real-time and scheduled service data, they sometimes display arrival times for buses that are not actually coming. The ghost bus issue was particularly severe in the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading exasperated transit activists to post stickers on bus stops around the city asking 'Tired of being ghosted by the CTA?' At the time, the transit agency attributed the unreliable service to staffing shortages which it says have since largely eased. The agency said it has since reduced the number of canceled trips. The CTA started testing the canceled bus data-sharing late last year, according to the agency's social media. Gonzales said the CTA started consistently publishing the cancellation data garage-by-garage in May, with data from buses at all CTA's garages online by early July. The CTA is also working on publishing canceled train information, he said. In the future, the CTA also plans to make public data about where buses on detours have been rerouted. In a statement, the CTA's acting president, Nora Leerhsen, described the new cancellation data as a 'critical step in transparency.' Leerhsen said she was 'looking forward to our continued implementation of data-informed, technological initiatives that empower our riders.' The change comes as the CTA, along with the region's other mass transit agencies, are facing an impending budget deficit in the hundreds of millions of dollars. If state lawmakers don't find more funding for transit soon, the agencies have warned, they could be forced to slash up to 40% of service next year.
Time Out
26-06-2025
- Business
- Time Out
Chicago debuts its first-ever Regional Day Pass linking CTA, Metra and Pace
Getting around Chicago just got a whole lot smoother: Chicago Transit Authority just announced a brand-new Regional Day Pass that offers unlimited rides on CTA, Metra and Pace for a full day—all from a single purchase in the Ventra app. This is the first time the city's major transit agencies have teamed up to offer a truly unified fare option for daily riders. The pass is part of a larger push by the Regional Transportation Authority, CTA, Metra and Pace to make public transportation more affordable and convenient across the entire region. The Regional Day Pass includes unlimited access to Metra, CTA trains and buses, and Pace fixed-route buses for 24 hours. You'll need the latest Ventra app (that's version 2.2.11) and a registered Ventra card—physical or digital—to purchase and use the pass. "This pass is a huge step forward in creating a more seamless, rider-friendly experience," said RTA Executive Director Leanne Redden. And with summer in full swing, the timing couldn't be better for locals and visitors alike to explore Chicago without worrying about multiple fares. Here's what Chicago's new Regional Day Pass costs: On weekdays, pricing is tiered by Metra travel zones: $10 for single-zone travel $13.50 for two zones $16 for three zones (Discounted fares apply for reduced fare card holders.) On weekends, the fare is $9.50 flat, regardless of distance. The pass is currently being rolled out as a six-month pilot, with potential for a permanent spot in the system by 2026. Regional leaders are calling it a win—but also a preview of what's possible with further investment and collaboration. To get yours, just open the Ventra app (get your physical or virtual Ventra card here), go to "Buy Metra Tickets," choose your trip, and select the Add a Regional Day Pass option at checkout.
Chicago Tribune
20-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Regional day passes available now for CTA, Metra and Pace
CTA, Metra and Pace riders can now purchase day passes that cover unlimited rides on all three transit systems, the agencies announced Friday. The regional day pass costs between $10 and $16 on weekdays depending on the length of the Metra trip. Weekend day passes cost $9.50. The passes are priced to cost $2.50 more than a Metra day pass while giving riders full access to rides on CTA and Pace. That means that riders who, for instance, take a CTA train to and from a Metra station could save $2.50 by using the pass, because the cost of a CTA day pass is $5.00. Passes are available for purchase in the latest version of the Ventra app. The program is a pilot that is set to last at least six months. The day pass announcement comes after state lawmakers last month failed to pass transit reform legislation — or find funding to avert a looming $771 million fiscal cliff — during their spring legislative session. Legislation introduced in Springfield last month would have overhauled the structure and governance of the Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees CTA, Metra and Pace, by replacing it with a new oversight body called the Northern Illinois Transit Authority. The legislation, had it passed, would have given NITA broad authority to set fares and schedules and specifically called for the creation of an integrated fare system by 2030. Leanne Redden, RTA's executive director, referenced the failed governance and funding negotiations in Springfield in a statement about the day pass pilot. 'This pass is another step in our shared effort to make transit more seamless and rider-friendly across the region,' Redden said. 'To build a truly connected transit system, we need both reform and support, including increased operating funding and action on proposed legislative changes that would centralize and make fare integration easier to implement and sustain,' Redden added. The agencies could continue the pilot program permanently next year — 'depending on funding availability,' they said. The qualifier hints at the fact that the CTA, Metra and Pace are planning for the possibility of making drastic 40% service cuts next year if lawmakers don't allocate more funding in the coming months.
CBS News
20-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
New pass allows unlimited access to Metra, CTA, Pace
A new pass is now available for CTA, Pace, and Metra riders. The "Regional Day Pass" is unlimited and offers single and multiple-day options on the Ventra app. This pass costs $2.50 more than the usual Metra day pass. Weekday prices include: $10 in Metra's single zone travel area ($6 for reduced fare card holders) $13.50 in Metra's two-zone travel area ($8 for reduced fare card holders) $16 in Metra's three-zone travel area ($9 for reduced fare card holders) All weekend, "Regional Day Passes" will cost $9.50.
