CTA suspends Ventra deadlines until further notice
06 November, 2013
category: Contactless, Smart Cards, Transit
The Chicago Transit Authority’s legacy fare-payment system, the Chicago Card, will work past the original November 15 deadline, according to NBC Chicago.
The new Ventra system has had a bumpy rollout, plagued with reports of poor customer service, activation issues, card-reading problems and overcharged cards. CTA said that more than 50% of riders have transitioned to Ventra.
“Although hundreds of thousands of riders use the system smoothly each day, as we’re all aware, there are a number of things that just aren’t going the way they should be… or the way they want them to,” explained CTA President Forrest Claypool. “In short, our vendor hasn’t fully met our expectations yet, or those of our customers.”
The CTA president said he’s coordinated with the developer of Ventra to take further steps to improve customer service. The vendor last month was ordered to increase the number of customer service representatives it had available after users complained of long hold times.
At that time, the CTA also abruptly extended use of the magnetic-stripe fare cards. Customer can continue to reload funds onto Chicago Cards and purchase the magnetic-stripe cards until further notice.
Overall, CTA officials maintain the Ventra system is performing “well,” with more than 25 million rides in just seven weeks.
