The bus now accepts tokens, fare cards ... and cell phones?

Imagine taking a trip on a Chicago bus, subway or train without having to buy or punch a physical ticket.

The Regional Transportation Authority says it's looking into how commuters might be able to use cell phones to pay for rides by sweeping telephones phones over a sensor. Money would then be deducted from a rider's online account.

Similar technology's already being used in Europe and Asia. And a recent trial of the technology in San Francisco led that city's Bay Area Rapid Transit system to consider employing it.

One hurdle to using the same phone-based system on all Chicago's services is that the commuter train agency, Metra, still doesn't have turnstiles or sensors of any kind. Instead, Metra conductors punch tickets by hand and check riders' passes.