Ventra begins public rollout to Chicago area
06 September, 2013
category: Contactless, Smart Cards, Transit
Starting Monday, Chicago area transit riders will have a new and more convenient way to pay for rides on CTA and Pace, with the scheduled full public rollout of Ventra.
The universal fare system will replace CTA and Pace’s existing, nearly 20-year-old fare payment system and offer transit customers to use a single fare card for transit throughout the Chicago region.
Customers can easily manage their accounts online and choose from several different contactless payment methods including Ventra Card, Ventra Ticket or their own personal contactless-enabled bank card; and eventually, compatible smart phones.
With Ventra, customers are presented faster boarding, account management and value protection. A simple “tap” of the card will allow customers to quickly board CTA buses and trains and transfer seamless between Pace buses.
Ventra has no fees or daily transit use and CTA and Pace fares will remain the same, unaffected by the transition. Cash will also still be accepted on buses.
Ventra is projected to be one of the nation’s largest transit open fare payment systems. It will include a network with more than three times the current number in the region, expected at around 2,000.
