Jump to content

Ventra - Bugs, Feedback, and Questions


Busjack

Recommended Posts

You know what's really cool. If you download the ventra app to your phone, you can check any cards balance at any time on the app. You don't need the machine. You can also add money with a credit or debit card. I do this all the time cause I drive and take transit and I don't want to get caught with no money on a card. I only use a machine when I'm caught outside on transit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/9/2017 at 2:58 PM, Busjack said:

Thing that surprises me is that CTA is giving up the big MetaBank commissions, which must mean that there weren't any.

The other warning is that if the card isn't registered, the balance doesn't carry over, and certain passes can't be purchased, so people should register their cards.

The RTA cards, while not having the debit card, currently have an expiration date.

On the debit option you would be correct. The Ventra website mentions in that Q & A section, they mention through standard boilerplate something about tracking debit card option usage and listening to feedback from customers to determine that the next wave cards would be transit only like senior and student permit cards (which from looking at my niece's card double as school ID cards) and U-Passes. Translation it wasn't generating the revenue CTA was hoping for, and they saw now need to keep it. They went on to say that those who did use the debit option on current Ventra cards will be assisted in getting new separate debit cards and having any debit funds transferred to those cards. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/5/2017 at 11:34 PM, sw4400 said:

Anyone notice the glitch on the Ventra site? You see your cash total and locations you tapped the card at, but all passes say "There Are No Passes In This Transit Account". Even though there is a pass on the card. It shows passes at the CTA Rail Stations and retailers.

I had that same glitch, but it was showing properly again after about a day. My pass that I had loaded on my card still worked properly the whole time, and if you called Ventra Customer Service at the time the automated system still mentioned whatever pass you had along with expiration date and time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Got my new Ventra Card in the mail today and the expiration is indeed longer, 20 years out in fact. The expiration is November of 2037. I wonder if the chip will hold up better than in the old cards with these new longer active cards since the chip in my old one started weakening and taking longer to read on the Ventra readers during these last few weeks before expiration. 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

So I got my renewal for ventra. It says to give them the same phone number you used 4 years ago. I don't know how I'll renew this I have changed phone numbers probably 3 times since then. Cell numbers change rapidly. I wonder why they couldn't go by address.

You should have been able to use your current number as long as you used your 4 digit access code you created at registration of the original card. I used my cell number even though I registered with my house phone number and gave my access code and everything switched over smoothly in the few minutes it took to complete the call. About the only cumbersome part for me was keying in the number on the card that several digits longer than the original card number and had a lot of zeroes in it one after the other.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

Has anyone recently experienced the card reader on the bus saying "Stop: Insufficient Fare" on the first tap, but working properly the second time? This happened on the majority of Pace buses that I boarded, but I also rode the blue line and did not have the problem. On one bus, the reader would not accept my card at all, repeatedly saying "Insufficient Fare" despite having a balance of more than $12. I had to pay cash for that trip.

I'm not sure if it matters, but I was sent my new card back in January but didn't need it until a few weeks ago, so I never bothered to activate it until the day before I had the problem with the reader not working.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
1 hour ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

Slightly unrelated, it was funny that paying fare by cellphone was a "new innovation" when it's been available for almost as long as Ventra has been a thing.

The question is whether the Ventra app will be accepted the same as a Ventra  card, as using a normal payment app is a cash fare and hence a screw job.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...
On 7/1/2018 at 11:19 PM, Pace831 said:

Has anyone recently experienced the card reader on the bus saying "Stop: Insufficient Fare" on the first tap, but working properly the second time? This happened on the majority of Pace buses that I boarded, but I also rode the blue line and did not have the problem. On one bus, the reader would not accept my card at all, repeatedly saying "Insufficient Fare" despite having a balance of more than $12. I had to pay cash for that trip.

I'm not sure if it matters, but I was sent my new card back in January but didn't need it until a few weeks ago, so I never bothered to activate it until the day before I had the problem with the reader not working.

Please pardon me but this actually happened to me today [1/19/2019] when I boarded a southbound King Dr bus at Washington and Michigan around 11:15am.

I had used my card to board the Red Line at Howard street with no problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This happens every once in a while, especially soon after adding value or a pass. Typically after a few tries, the reader will say "go". 

I think the bus delay comes from the fact that the readers use a wireless connection to the Ventra servers. On days with poor weather or heavy cloud coverage, the readers are less likely to properly register the card and will display the tap error or insufficient funds messages. 

The rail station readers are hardwired and do not have any weather related delays. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...