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CTA launches modernized Bus Tracker website Wednesday

By FOX 32 Digital Staff
Published  August 24, 2022 9:43am CDT
Chicago Transit Authority
FOX 32 Chicago

CHICAGO - The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) announced the launch of its new Bus Tracker website Wednesday.  

The CTA’s Bus Tracker website is now mobile responsive, which allows customers to view bus arrival information and buses on route from their mobile devices. 

The updates are expected to provide customers with easier access to bus arrival information and a more modern design, while also laying the foundation for CTA to make future upgrades over the next several months and into 2023, that will further improve the accuracy and reliability of bus arrival information.  

Wednesday’s upgrade to the CTA Bus Tracker website is the latest in a series of initiatives announced by the CTA since it unveiled its "Meeting the Moment: Transforming CTA’s Post-Pandemic Future" Action Plan two weeks ago and supports the Plan’s guiding pillar of upgrading digital tools to improve customer communication.  

"In this tech-centered world, CTA continues to invest in its technology and digital communication tools to ensure our customers are receiving the most accurate and up-to-date information on our service," said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. "This upgrade is a critical first step in improving our rider communication tools, and a key component of our commitment to our customers to quickly address our most pressing challenges." 

The updated Bus Tracker website provides estimated bus arrival times for 129 bus routes, and now provides customers with the following improvements: 

  • A new, responsive website design allows the website to adapt to whatever device being used – from smartphones to desktop monitors. 
  • New navigation gestures. Pinch to zoom in and zoom out on the map display for more detailed views and information. 
  • Find stops near you using your phone's GPS; the site will remember what stops you've looked up previously, and also allow you to set favorites without requiring you to create an account. 
  • Modernized mapping features for improved viewing of live buses across the city. 
  • Behind the scenes, the modern codebase will help the CTA and their vendors iterate more quickly to improve tracking and prediction accuracy. 

The CTA is also working to hire and train new bus operators, and it is temporarily adjusting scheduled service to better reflect current manpower. 

The CTA hopes to provide more consistent and reliable service and give customers more confidence that the service they are seeing in the CTA Bus Tracker will be delivered.