ABOUT

WHO WE ARE:

We are fellow Chicago residents and CTA 'L' riders who were irritated by the lack of a simple Chicago transit app.  One night, we said, "Why can't I have a widget that shows me when the train is coming?"  And from there, EL Tracker was born.

After that, the idea only grew.  We now have an app that shows both bus and train arrival times in a simple, user-friendly format, while adding other helpful features like map integration with live tracking, Siri support, multiple languages, and widgets.

WHY USE EL TRACKER?

With 1500 downloads and counting and an overall 5-star review on the app store, people love the modern features and simplicity of EL Tracker!

While the Ventra app makes payment easy, and includes an integrated map, the actual user experience is outdated and not intuitive.  Default map apps, such as Google Maps, frequently show inaccurate arrival times.  Other independent apps can be clumsy and most require an expensive monthly subscription to use simple features.  

Our favorite interface was actually the CTA's own tracker, but that was only available in a web browser, and had no features outside of showing departures.  Our app offers a combination of the most useful features in one sleek package.  

We are the only completely free Chicago transit app that offers: 

OUR MISSION:

We strive to create technology that has a positive impact on the lives of everyday Chicagoans.  That is why EL Tracker is 100% free-to-use with no ads.  We do not profit in the creation or upkeep of this app, and we rely on volunteers for beta testing and translation services.

We also want to make traveling around the city as accessible as possible, which is why we provide low-vision support, ADA accessibility notations, elevator outage push notifications, and multiple languages.  

WHAT'S COMING NEXT?

We are currently on support for Apple Watch.  Stay tuned for updates!

DISCLAIMER:

EL Tracker is not an official CTA app, nor are we endorsed by the CTA.