Ventra - Feedback and Updates

[richii0909]

On the metra as I type this and it appears the Ventra app will not sync or log in. Conductor was baffled saying well there’s work must be your phone. I then told the conductor that perhaps their tickets were stored in advanced. Any hoot a lot of people having issues with Ventra. I twittered Ventra and Metra to get an official response. Here what happens... the app kicks you out completely and hangs at syncing although there is no networking issues.

[trainman8119]

I had problems. I was signed in but couldn't buy anything nor add payment info.

I eventually logged out of the app and upon logging back in, problem was solved.

For what it is worth...I hate the damn thing !!

[garmon757]

Recent posts have been moved to this topic due to two duplicate topics. Carry on. 

[Tcmetro]

Ventra says all the cards they have issued will begin to expire from 12/31/2017 to 2022. Supposedly the next round of Ventra cards will not have the Mastercard/prepaid-debit function and will have a 20 year life. 

https://www.ventrachicago.com/expires/

[Busjack]

38 minutes ago, Tcmetro said:

Ventra says all the cards they have issued will begin to expire from 12/31/2017 to 2022. Supposedly the next round of Ventra cards will not have the Mastercard/prepaid-debit function and will have a 20 year life. 

https://www.ventrachicago.com/expires/

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.

[pudgym29]

When in Japan back in September for the Blue Note Jazz Festival, I finally took the plunge and bought a PASMO stored value card. The English-language instructions for obtaining one from a station machine were quite clear. I was able to classify it as a personalized PASMO card, for which a Japanese railway operator has my name and a valid e-mail address associated.

I'm posting this in this thread because, after putting in a cash amount for the card, each time I tapped the card to a train station wicket, it showed the remaining value on the card.

With a Ventra card, when you touch the card to the reader, it shows only "Go" or "Stop" [insufficient value]. A software update should be implemented that would reveal the remaining value on the Ventra card, so that a rider could swiftly learn how much was left. (This would also reveal when a perceived second transfer occurred beyond the two hours allocated for it.)

[Busjack]

13 minutes ago, pudgym29 said:

I'm posting this in this thread because, after putting in a cash amount for the card, each time I tapped the card to a train station wicket, it showed the remaining value on the card.

The question is whether it did it in a sufficiently private manner, as we know in Chicago that a display that would be visible to those following you will induce someone to steal your card, if it showed sufficient value left. The alternative here, of course, is to use the Ventra App to see your account balance.

[artthouwill]

10 hours ago, pudgym29 said:

When in Japan back in September for the Blue Note Jazz Festival, I finally took the plunge and bought a PASMO stored value card. The English-language instructions for obtaining one from a station machine were quite clear. I was able to classify it as a personalized PASMO card, for which a Japanese railway operator has my name and a valid e-mail address associated.

I'm posting this in this thread because, after putting in a cash amount for the card, each time I tapped the card to a train station wicket, it showed the remaining value on the card.

With a Ventra card, when you touch the card to the reader, it shows only "Go" or "Stop" [insufficient value]. A software update should be implemented that would reveal the remaining value on the Ventra card, so that a rider could swiftly learn how much was left. (This would also reveal when a perceived second transfer occurred beyond the two hours allocated for it.)

There are Ventra vending machines at each rail station.  They allow the option to check your remaining balance by choosing the Transit Account Summary option.  If you need to add value, you can do it right then and there.  

On buses you can ask the driver to check your balance BEFORE flapping the card.  He/she Will press a button on the farebox and then you can tap your card.  They will tell you your balance.

.  

[BusHunter]

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.

[jajuan]

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. 

[sw4400]

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.

[jajuan]

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.

[Busjack]

There was just a story on ABC7 that if you get a new smartphone, you better transfer your Ventra tickets because they are only stored in the app, not on the system. They didn't say if that applied only to Metra tickets.

[jajuan]

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. 

[BusHunter]

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.

[jajuan]

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.

[Pace831]

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.

[Busjack]

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.

[Busjack]

Metra announced that anonymous tickets will not be allowed on an update to the Ventra app, and one would have to open an account, although I don't know why anonymous tickets would have been allowed.

[geneking7320]

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.

[Tcmetro]

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. 

[jajuan]

Placing this here as it applies to both CTA and Pace. (Also did a search of this specific topic and didn't find one that was already created). Anyway, looks like CTA and Pace will be getting upgraded Ventra readers soon. I spotted one on 1263 last week when riding the 79. It's placed on the right side railing above the front wheel well. The bus still has the old reader in its usual spot. I also spotted them at the Pink Line's Polk station. In this case, they're on the turnstiles along the angled surface behind the old readers, which like on 1263 are still in place. A Google search indicates this was announced last year on CTA's Instagram account, and the Ventra website states that they'll be appearing more on CTA and Pace as what remains of the summer progresses and that they're in the testing phase. (Ventra site's mention of this is worded "coming this summer"). However, CTA personnel gave no indication that the new readers could be used now, so everyone still tapped the old readers. 

[Busjack]

It was mentioned at several Pace board meetings that the service boards now have to keep track of fare evasion, but the equipment was not dependable and was being replaced. I suppose this is part of the response to that.

[Busjack]

On 8/11/2026 at 2:18 PM, Busjack said:

It was mentioned at several Pace board meetings that the service boards now have to keep track of fare evasion, but the equipment was not dependable and was being replaced. I suppose this is part of the response to that.

It was mentioned at the Aug. CT Board meeting that the line item for "Free Rides" was (not as I thought, for rides given away by Blago) for fare evasion, and that, among other things, they have to make sure that every time a bus door opens, they have to register a fare (compare the Pace comment that the door and Ventra counters don't sync), and that some fare gates have been made higher and, generally speaking, are 35 years old.

[garmon757]

Multiple topics and comments related to Ventra have been merged into this topic for a clean, organized topic.