Purchase Tickets on the Ventra app
The Ventra app is a safe and convenient way to buy and display all Metra ticket types, full and reduced, on your smartphone with a credit or debit card or a Ventra account. Download the app for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Then use it to buy any kind of Metra ticket on the go, anytime, anywhere. You can skip the ticket window and show your mobile ticket to the conductor whenever you ride Metra. It’s like having a Metra ticket vending machine in your pocket.
For full details about how to use the Ventra app, click here.
Purchase Tickets at the Station
Most Metra tickets can be purchased from vending machines at downtown stations and at the busiest outlying stations. (Click here to see if a vending machine is available at your station.)
Purchase Tickets Onboard
Where no vending machine exists, passengers may board the train and purchase a One-Way Ticket or a Saturday/Sunday/Holiday Day Pass (on those days) with cash from the conductor. However, if a machine is available at the station where you boarded and you elect to purchase a One-Way Ticket on the train, the conductor will charge an additional $5.
For more information on how to purchase the various types of Metra tickets, please see the table below:
| Ventra App | Ticket Vending Machine | Onboard the Train | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Pass | Yes | Yes | No |
| One-Way Ticket | Yes | Yes | Yes* |
| Day Pass | Yes | Yes | No |
| Day Pass 5-Pack | Yes | No | No |
| Sat/Sun/Holiday Day Pass | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Weekend Pass | Yes | No | No |
| Regional Connect Pass** | Yes | No | No |
*You will be charged an additional $5 surcharge for purchasing onboard the train if a ticket agent was available at your station of origin.
**The Regional Connect Pass for unlimited rides on the CTA and Pace is available only to Monthly Pass buyers and only in the Ventra app. To buy it in the app, you must have a Ventra card registered in the app to which the pass can be added. Click here for details.
