Ventra - Feedback and Updates

[Amtrak41]

While your statement "This illustrates that this isn't just the usual "CTA doesn't know what it is doing" IS true,

this article proves it is also true CTA willingly walked into this pile of $hyt knowing full well what it was getting itself into.Did someone forget to "Google" Cubic and these other fare systems to see what goes on around the world ?

Methinks CTA set up a very tight trial period deliberately, first with students, then aggravated CC/CCP immediately thereafter, and then a fast closeout of other fare media so as to ram-rod this through, thinking people are too stupid or submissive to fight back, or doing so when it was too little/too late.

[jajuan]

While your statement "This illustrates that this isn't just the usual "CTA doesn't know what it is doing" IS true,

this article proves it is also true CTA willingly walked into this pile of $hyt knowing full well what it was getting itself into.Did someone forget to "Google" Cubic and these other fare systems to see what goes on around the world ?

Methinks CTA set up a very tight trial period deliberately, first with students, then aggravated CC/CCP immediately thereafter, and then a fast closeout of other fare media so as to ram-rod this through, thinking people are too stupid or submissive to fight back, or doing so when it was too little/too late.

Actually it can't really be said that CTA walked into this willingly given that Kevin pointed out almost a couple months ago that Cubic manipulated the situation by making the chips used in the Chicago Cards and CCP unavailable, which in a way tied CTA's hands. Someone else made the point that other American cities that Cubic has set similar fare collection systems aren't having the issues to the degree that have been cropping up here in Chicago. So it can't even be said that they didn't research other cities. If they did research other fare collections systems they quite likely would have been looking at American cities before they would European ones, and from the sounds of all the information put together as a whole up to this point, Cubic had an easy time masking its more dicey performance history.

[Busjack]

While your statement "This illustrates that this isn't just the usual "CTA doesn't know what it is doing" IS true,

this article proves it is also true CTA willingly walked into this pile of $hyt knowing full well what it was getting itself into.Did someone forget to "Google" Cubic and these other fare systems to see what goes on around the world ?

Methinks CTA set up a very tight trial period deliberately, first with students, then aggravated CC/CCP immediately thereafter, and then a fast closeout of other fare media so as to ram-rod this through, thinking people are too stupid or submissive to fight back, or doing so when it was too little/too late.

Aside from what jajuan said, the original request for proposals, which probably can better be characterized as a request for information was in 2009.and the contract was authorized in Nov., 2011. So, I don't know what we can say CTA knew 2 or 4 years before this.

Also, I'm not convinced that the short implementation period was an intentional screw job by the CTA, while I am sure that other things, such as treating bank cards as cash fares, were. Since this was a phase in to see if the system would work, it rather dramatically disclosed that it wouldn't, and Emanuel and Claypool got the message. On the other hand, it would have been a waste of money to maintain parallel fare systems (including the parallel vending machines CTA now has to maintain) if the new one actually worked.

[BusHunter]

The thing that bothers me the most about the gapersblock article is that thieves were hacking the accounts. Doing what they wanted with them. (identity theft) That's one reason I wouldn't put too much on the card, I just hope they don't have the ability to purchase and cause an overdraft charge with a negative balance or we are all in danger of that. I wonder what's someone's options if the account has been compromised. Can they cancel an account?

[Busjack]

...I wonder what's someone's options if the account has been compromised. Can they cancel an account?

Supposedly the purpose of registering was that you could cancel the account if you found something. Apparently, though, there isn't anyone that will take your call in a prompt manner at this time.

I don't know if this has the usual bank protections, or the usual "the merchant will cover credit reporting information for a year." However, as far as stealing from a transit value account itself, they aren't going to get the money out of it. Then the question would be whether the hackers could use the information in the Ventra system to hack your linked bank account or open credit card accounts.

[Busjack]

Not quite what the article's headline implied, but does have an explanation about how reduced fare cards are going out.

[Kevin]

New decals on readers.

https://twitter.com/240front/status/400484300417548288

[Busjack]

New decals on readers.

https://twitter.com/240front/status/400484300417548288

Wonder how much and whose money is being spent adding the green and then yellow tags. The green tags didn't make any sense to me. At least the yellow ones with the logo and the card make a bit more sense.

[Amtrak41]

The giant Ventra dump fest

http://www.suntimes.com/23711606-761/ventra-card-complaints-dominate-cta-budget-hearing.html

I don't have Xray vision. Where on the actual Ventra card is the chip ?

Since I figured out where it is on my Chase card, so have less trouble with Biink transactions at my supermarket.

[Busjack]

The giant Ventra dump fest

http://www.suntimes.com/23711606-761/ventra-card-complaints-dominate-cta-budget-hearing.html

I commented on the budget thread, but I note that while the Tribune noted that the activists were there, it didn't give their comments any publicity.

[Amtrak41]

From that, I assume the S-T is more in the sack with Rahm (or CTA) than the Trib.

(I am a Liberal Dem, but can't stand the man).

[Busjack]

From that, I assume the S-T is more in the sack with Rahm (or CTA) than the Trib.

(I am a Liberal Dem, but can't stand the man).

I don't know how you can come to that, unless it is to Rahm's advantage to have the activists expose themselves for what they are.

As I noted in the Muckrakers, the race and poverty crowd they support doesn't have a candidate. The best they supposedly had was Carol Moseley Braun, but she got only 9% of the vote. 2 other Black candidates pulled out because each was also polling 9%, but apparently she didn't get any of their votes.

The only position the S-T has is that it is owned and run by a bunch of local financiers on the cheap, as opposed to the Tribune, which is owned (but apparently not run) by banks that got it after bankruptcy. Also, the S-T has traditionally tried to appeal to a slightly lower social demographic. It seems to have better investigations, though.

[jajuan]

Wonder how much and whose money is being spent adding the green and then yellow tags. The green tags didn't make any sense to me. At least the yellow ones with the logo and the card make a bit more sense.

To what green tags are you referring? All I see is the yellow tag Kevin referred to and the green "Go" screen telling the rider he's free to pass through the turnstile. Apparently these yellow tags are on rail station readers so far. I haven't seen any on buses as of yet.

[owine]

Wonder how much and whose money is being spent adding the green and then yellow tags. The green tags didn't make any sense to me. At least the yellow ones with the logo and the card make a bit more sense.

To what green tags are you referring? All I see is the yellow tag Kevin referred to and the green "Go" screen telling the rider he's free to pass through the turnstile. Apparently these yellow tags are on rail station readers so far. I haven't seen any on buses as of yet.

Someone put green stickers on rail station readers to give a better indication of where to tap. I can't imagine this is a very expensive undertaking.

[Busjack]

To what green tags are you referring? All I see is the yellow tag Kevin referred to and the green "Go" screen telling the rider he's free to pass through the turnstile. Apparently these yellow tags are on rail station readers so far. I haven't seen any on buses as of yet.

It was reported that green tags were being put over the logo, and Kevin's report is that they are now being replaced by the yellow ones.

[Vinny]

I don't have Xray vision. Where on the actual Ventra card is the chip ?

Since I figured out where it is on my Chase card, so have less trouble with Biink transactions at my supermarket.

It appears (on mine anyway) to be just above the "tr" in Ventra on the front of the card (or conversely, just below the "Debit" hologram sticker on the back). There's a very slight bubble in the surface of the card there.

Got double charged this morning but that was because the high barrier gate at the Irving Park/Pulaski Blue Line locked after I got the Go message/enter light so I tapped again and got through.

[busfan2847]

It appears (on mine anyway) to be just above the "tr" in Ventra on the front of the card (or conversely, just below the "Debit" hologram sticker on the back). There's a very slight bubble in the surface of the card there.

Got double charged this morning but that was because the high barrier gate at the Irving Park/Pulaski Blue Line locked after I got the Go message/enter light so I tapped again and got through.

The chip is in exactly the same place on all Pay Wave cards and is easily visible as a bump on the card.

[BusHunter]

Now they are sending dead people ventra cards. Story was on NBC.

[owine]

Now they are sending dead people ventra cards. Story was on NBC.

Must be using the voter rolls.

[MarioM]

People are tweeting from train stations all across the city that the Ventra readers are all down this afternoon.

Haven't seen anything unusual on buses yet.

[jajuan]

Now they are sending dead people ventra cards. Story was on NBC.

If it's about them mailing a card to a woman who died 5 years ago, it was also in the Tribune. But to be fair to them though they're not the first to mail something to someone who's deceased so we're kind of grasping at straws and piling on again with this one. Sometimes it does still take some time for the fact that that person is deceased to trickle out all the parties that did business with or provided some form of service for that person when they were alive. Transit authorities are no different. Even after the family properly takes care of that person's final affairs.some small detail gets missed when the family is communicating to relevant parties that the person is deceased. And yes the family does have to communicate in some way that the person is deceased, otherwise what we're basically saying is CTA and every other entity providing a service or product has to be in the business of constantly trolling death certificates.

[Kevin]

People are tweeting from train stations all across the city that the Ventra readers are all down this afternoon.

Haven't seen anything unusual on buses yet.

Free rides at Merchandise Mart, as recorded by a Sun-Times reporter.

http://instagram.com/p/grDu6-qFLV/

[owine]

All but one Ventra reader at Irving Park/Brown was down this evening.

[MarioM]

https://twitter.com/tracyswartz/status/400813280047796225

[BusHunter]

I didn't seem to notice any problems at midway. Just did my four swipes and away I went.