Ventra - Feedback and Updates

[kamilkuta]

So does any one know what happens to he left over mone if i take just 2 bus rides and use tge paper Ventra ticket. Bua rises will add up to $2.25. Costumera used to have an option with the old magnetic strip system to buy either a bus ticket with tranafera or for 25¢ more a rail ticket with two traafers witch thay do not have now unles thay have the plastic Ventra cars. Social service foundations and departments like free helth clinics and Department of human recorces give thair costumers paper Ventra tickets b/c it is not pasible to give them plastic ones. Kids also are given the paper tickets for bus while on break from shool do to the fact thay loose everythink so its safer and much cheeper to buy paper Ventea tickets for them. I tend to loose stuff all the time or leave without my plastic Ventra thats why i also buy the paper bus passes on top of the plastic one but being forget full and kids not paying attention to thair bus tickets doea not give CTA, Ventra or any one else to harge people extra mone just because thay dont want to uae thair plastic ventra at all times. I do understand that 25¢ is not much but it adds up. Since i dint take rail and just take busi calculated that every day I get harged 50¢ extra my kids $1.25 so that adds up to $1.75 a day that CTA or Ventra takes from me that thay should not be taking. I quickly adds up to about $8 a week just from me and my two kids. It is mone that is not being used by me and i hink that should be reverted to me, CTA or Ventra should let thair costumers keep he mone thay didnt use frompaper Ventra tickets or give their costumers an option to buy a bus ticket not just rail like thay did with the old magnetic strip system. $8 a week quickly adds up and it ia about $38 a mounth and if you combine all the people that buy paper Ventra tickets for what ever reason like not wanting to have information stolen of thair cards or maby thay are aick of loosing the plastic one and keep buing and re-regiatering a new one, peoples security concerns also dont give any agency an opurtunity to mis lead and make extra mone on people. My e-mail is [email protected] if any one is willing to help me get CTA and Ventra to owen up to thair respansibilitis and stop taking peopls mone that thair are not enyiteld to or have any explenations or sugestions pleas feel free to e-mail me. Also my twiter is #kutakamil I juts wonder what would happen if i went and took mone from that did nkt belong to me like Vntra and CTA are duing, i pribebly would have to not only explain my self but also go to jail, and all i want is for CTA and Ventra to explain them selfs and change thair practices and stop taking mone that dont belong to them.

[kamilkuta]

Sorry for miss spelings in this and my previos posts. I just want an explenation to why am i all of a sudden peing 25¢ mor for bus ticket with two transfera without CTA anoucing a fare hike. I dont mind paying 50¢ service fee, i do own a plastic ventra card but it is more conviniant for me and my family to use the paper ticketa b/c i tend to lost them all the time. If i take just bus rides i should be paying $2.25 but yet i am being charged $2.50 if i use the paper Ventra ticket. Since i am not able to use the left over 25¢ what happens to it? Who gets it? I dont ride the rail just bus and just becouse i am willing to pay 50¢ service fee to use the paper Ventra so my information is more secure this way b/c it simply is not thare that alone does not give any obe the right to take any amount from me that doea not belong to them. CTA should at least inform thair costumers that if thay use the paper Ventra ticket just on bus the ticket cost wil me 25¢ more then wiyh plastic Ventra card since thay will not be able to use the mone thowords thair next bus ticket like riders used to be able to do with the magnetic strip.

[Busjack]

I guess you didn't read my response. CTA keeps it.

Some of the social services agencies complained about the fare hike, but that's how it goes.

But why do you continue to post if you won't read the responses? Or don't use a browser with spell check?

[garmon757]

From someone who handles currency for a living, the silver $1 coin isn't worth much more than the face value. I see a lot of these in our dump bank where we ship this off through an Armored Car service. We typically get 3-4 of these in a week's time. The gold ones are probably 2006-present day, and aren't worth more than the face value of them. We get a lot more of the gold than the silver (5-9 in a week's time).

The gold ones, you're right about the less value despite me having one of the three dated back from 2000. I figured that the silver dollar isn't worth much. Let's say I've kept if for at least 25 years in good condition, would it be some kind of value?

[Busjack]

The gold ones, you're right about the less value despite me having one of the three dated back from 2000. I figured that the silver dollar isn't worth much. Let's say I've kept if for at least 25 years in good condition, would it be some kind of value?

The real issue is that the dollar coins the government is trying to get into circulation (the ones the size of a quarter) are not real silver dollars, which were much bigger and had silver. Those have value based on their silver content, but the ones dispensed by vending machines do not.

This goes back to the Susan B. Anthony dollar, which the government minted but nobody accepted. The design has changed and some vending machines give them as change, but it is still reported that the government is stuck with them.

The inherent problem was demonstrated when some snack machine didn't drop the snack, but spit out a coin. I went to the desk and complained, and said all I got back was a quarter. The desk gave me the difference, but it turned out it was one of those dollar coins, which I put back into the machine a couple of days later.

[garmon757]

The real issue is that the dollar coins the government is trying to get into circulation (the ones the size of a quarter) are not real silver dollars, which were much bigger and had silver. Those have value based on their silver content, but the ones dispensed by vending machines do not.

This goes back to the Susan B. Anthony dollar, which the government minted but nobody accepted. The design has changed and some vending machines give them as change, but it is still reported that the government is stuck with them.

The inherent problem was demonstrated when some snack machine didn't drop the snack, but spit out a coin. I went to the desk and complained, and said all I got back was a quarter. The desk gave me the difference, but it turned out it was one of those dollar coins, which I put back into the machine a couple of days later.

What was the point of them making these coins if they were barely used? That's a lot of damn coins just to be put to waste. I use to get some dollar coins from the vending machine and from a coin star machine (very weird) but I did the same thing you did; putting them right back in the machine. The question is, what are they going to do with all those coins?

[Busjack]

What was the point of them making these coins if they were barely used? That's a lot of damn coins just to be put to waste. I use to get some dollar coins from the vending machine and from a coin star machine (very weird) but I did the same thing you did; putting them right back in the machine. The question is, what are they going to do with all those coins?

Someone thought in the early 1980s that they could get rid of dollar bills, and while those thoughts still exist, it didn't happen.

As the linked article states, Congress mandates that the coins be minted, without any real reason.

The only real reason seems to be the one your originally noted--that vending machine operators, including whoever operates the Ventra vending machines, prefer to give change in dollar coins than 4 times as many quarters.

For that matter, have you seen a half dollar coin, lately?

This discussion may induce me to try to find my collection box some time this weekend.

[Busjack]

,,,

This discussion may induce me to try to find my collection box some time this weekend.

I turned around, and there was the box on the top of the office cabinet behind me.

Here are pictures of two real silver dollars. I don't know what the differences in scanning and screen resolutions does, but each is 1-1/2 inches in diameter.

[garmon757]

Someone thought in the early 1980s that they could get rid of dollar bills, and while those thoughts still exist, it didn't happen.

As the linked article states, Congress mandates that the coins be minted, without any real reason.

The only real reason seems to be the one your originally noted--that vending machine operators, including whoever operates the Ventra vending machines, prefer to give change in dollar coins than 4 times as many quarters.

For that matter, have you seen a half dollar coin, lately?

This discussion may induce me to try to find my collection box some time this weekend.

I turned around, and there was the box on the top of the office cabinet behind me.

Here are pictures of two real silver dollars. I don't know what the differences in scanning and screen resolutions does, but each is 1-1/2 inches in diameter.

IMG_0001.jpgIMG_0002.jpg

Good point. The last time I had a half-dollar was about a couple of months ago. Kennedy was on it dating back from 1974 (the first year of them being minted) but for some odd reason, I'd lost it. Yes indeed, those are quite a piece of history that you have. I wonder if you can get a legitimate value for them unless you're going to still keep them?

[strictures]

1. I believe the government has around 760 million Susan B. Anthony coins in vaults. Approximately 900 million were minted. It's possible that a large percentage of those in storage were scrapped, but a cursory search didn't find those numbers. It was the coin operated machine business that forced these disasters on the government. At one point, even the CTA tried to get people to use them as they were the change from the old machines, not paper dollars.

The first SBA dollar I got was a mistake, it should have been a quarter, but didn't notice that for a few days, until I tried to put it in a quarter slot somewhere.

2. I rode two CTA & three PACE buses today. Almost everyone had to tap repeatedly to get the Ventra cards to register. The Pace buses still had the old Chicago Card readers, but there was a sticker on them saying they don't work anymore. The two CTA NF-40s from NP had theirs removed.

[strictures]

Good point. The last time I had a half-dollar was about a couple of months ago. Kennedy was on it dating back from 1974 (the first year of them being minted) but for some odd reason, I'd lost it. Yes indeed, those are quite a piece of history that you have. I wonder if you can get a legitimate value for them unless you're going to still keep them?

The first Kennedy halves were 1964 & were silver until 1971. I assume the 1974 date was a typo. I see the cupro-nickel ones occasionally.

[Busjack]

Good point. The last time I had a half-dollar was about a couple of months ago. Kennedy was on it dating back from 1974 (the first year of them being minted) but for some odd reason, I'd lost it. Yes indeed, those are quite a piece of history that you have. I wonder if you can get a legitimate value for them unless you're going to still keep them?

Since you made me look, the 1972 Eisenhower dollar isn't silver, either, and is worth about $3, unless it is silver clad. One the other hand, the other is a 1923, which is worth $30-50, although mine is pretty worn.

BTW, the "gold dollars" sw mentioned are, according to the Mint, a "golden dollar" with maganese brass, and is not a gold coin that someone puts into a Salvation Army kettle. Hence, they are worth $1, too.

[sw4400]

I, myself, have two "rare" coins... a quarter from the year 1943 which is full silver, not the silver-metal mix of the modern day quarter, and a Indian-head Nickel. Sadly, the quarter is probably worth more than the nickel, be it just face value or a bit more as the nickels' date of mint is rubbed off, so there's no real way of knowing it's mint year. They are worth something if the year is visible. I also got a rare $1.00 bill "Series 1957" that says on the bottom "One Dollar In Silver Payable To The Bearer On Demand".

[sw4400]

Someone thought in the early 1980s that they could get rid of dollar bills, and while those thoughts still exist, it didn't happen.

As the linked article states, Congress mandates that the coins be minted, without any real reason.

The only real reason seems to be the one your originally noted--that vending machine operators, including whoever operates the Ventra vending machines, prefer to give change in dollar coins than 4 times as many quarters.

For that matter, have you seen a half dollar coin, lately?

This discussion may induce me to try to find my collection box some time this weekend.

I have seen Half-Dollar coins on occasion at work. They are rare, but we get 1-2 every so often.

[jajuan]

I don't know what language this is in (or why you posted it twice), but the paper Ventra ticket is only (1) because the turnstiles do not accept cash, and (2) for CTA to get $3.00 out of a $2.25 fare, a denied fare increase that the CTA admitted by holding a hearing mandated by federal law when there is a fare increase.

You don't "own" a paper ticket except as a souvenir. The only way to have an account is to register a plastic card.

CTA keeps everything, and pays Cubic a $450 million fee over 12 years to operate the system. There is no business entity known as Ventra; it is a brand name similar to Nabisco.

Actually Busjack, I'm pretty sure Nabisco is a distinct business entity and company. It's a subsidiary of Mondelez international based here in Illinois (after Kraft split in 2012 and made the snack food business a separate entity under the above Mondelez name), but it's still an actual company. I think the analogy you wanted was Ventra is a brand like Chips Ahoy, Oreo, Triscuit or Ritz (all Nabisco brands) since none of those are actual individual business entities. The comparison you stated to our new friend is like saying Jewel is a brand of New Albertson's, LLC or Dominick's was a brand of Safeway.

[Busjack]

Actually Busjack, I'm pretty sure Nabisco is a distinct business entity and company. It's a subsidiary of Mondelez international based here in Illinois (after Kraft split in 2012 and made the snack food business a separate entity under the above Mondelez name), but it's still an actual company. I think the analogy you wanted was Ventra is a brand like Chips Ahoy, Oreo, Triscuit or Ritz (all Nabisco brands) since none of those are actual individual business entities. The comparison you stated to our new friend is like saying Jewel is a brand of New Albertson's, LLC or Dominick's was a brand of Safeway.

Depends what is actually a subsidiary. But their website says "Nabisco" is part of their brand family.

I used to work for a company that had all sorts of subsidiaries, but none of them corresponded to what their business units or brand names were. They also acquired and sold business units all the time.

[Ratjeev]

I'll try to bring this thread back on topic with a followup question to my previous post. I plan on visiting Chicago next month and will be ordering the Ventra card via the wesbite as Kevin recommended. Since O'Hare station is a one-off and charges $5, does that affect the 7-day cards or should I be ok. From the info I read online it seems the $5 fare applies only to PAYG and those using contactless bank cards is that correct? TIA

[MarioM]

I'll try to bring this thread back on topic with a followup question to my previous post. I plan on visiting Chicago next month and will be ordering the Ventra card via the wesbite as Kevin recommended. Since O'Hare station is a one-off and charges $5, does that affect the 7-day cards or should I be ok. From the info I read online it seems the $5 fare applies only to PAYG and those using contactless bank cards is that correct? TIA

You can use a 1-day, 3-day, 7-day, or 30-day pass at no extra charge to enter at O'Hare.

There is also no extra charge for reduced fare riders (senior citizens, handicapped. children, military).

There is no extra charge for people using a valid transfer (the usual 25 cents for a first transfer applies).

So if you use a 7-day pass, that will be OK.

The $5 fare applies to anyone paying single ride full-fare. This includes payments from Transit Value (cash) stored on Ventra Cards and to contactless credit cards.

I think you may not understand what PAYG refers to. It refers to a fare paid with a personal contaclless credit card that has no Ventra Account associated with it (or does not have sufficient funds in the associated Ventra Account). You can associate a Ventra Account with a personal credit card at a Ventra Vending Machine. The PAYG fare at O'Hare is $5.

How to associate a Ventra Account with a personal credit card:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df-elixixB0

[jajuan]

Depends what is actually a subsidiary. But their website says "Nabisco" is part of their brand family.

I used to work for a company that had all sorts of subsidiaries, but none of them corresponded to what their business units or brand names were. They also acquired and sold business units all the time.

Sounds more to me like Mondelez muddled the definition of what's a brand in that when you're at a grocery store you're not buying a package of cookies or crackers that's solely Nabisco brand crackers or cookies. You're buying Chips Ahoy brand cookies by Nabisco, Ritz brand crackers by Nabisco, Wheat Thins brand crackers by Nabisco, etc. All of them manufactured in the Nabisco plant on West 77th Street. I don't think I've heard of a Chips Ahoy or Ritz plant. Bringing the analogy to transit, you got NOVABus, a subsidiary of Prevost, a subsidiary of VolvoBus, a subsidiary of Volvo Corporation (yeah quite convoluted ), still making and selling the LFS Smartbus, LFS Smartbus Articulated, LFX, LFX Artic, LFS HEV hybrid, LFS HEV hybrid artic, and LFS CNG, out of which CTA is currently buying LFS Smartbus models to start replacing previous LFS models on the roster. And NABI*, a subsidiary of New Flyer, is currently still making and selling its own line of model brands. So Nabisco with its own plant here in Chicago and headquarters in East Hanover, New Jersey sounds like a distinct business entity to me.

*New Flyer last month announced that after the existing NABI orders are finished, all current NABI bus models would be discontinued and NABI would cease to exist as a distinct business entity. NABI's production facilities in Anniston at that point would exclusively produce only Excelsior bus models.

[garmon757]

I'm guessing a routine maintenance (@ 79th). Service provided by One Team Cubic Service.

[Busjack]

I'm guessing a routine maintenance (@ 79th). Service provided by One Team Cubic Service.

Now if they can only get to 69th.

I was expecting the inside of a Coke Freestyle machine, with all the little cartridges for different flavors. Sometimes, those don't work so well either, and then they have to reboot the touchscreen.

[jajuan]

One clarification I made on an earlier post I made. I had said that Belmont and Howard I remembered seeing three machines. I wanted to make clear I was speaking of machines at the main station entrances only. Belmont, for example, has two additional machines at the auxiliary entrance/exit across the street IIRC. So that would actually bring the vending machine total at Belmont to five. Plus I noticed recently that the Davis Purple Line station has three machines. Then again I'm not surprised since that station is also a major transfer station in a way, considering that location is downtown Evanston and you can transfer to the Davis Metra station on the UP-North Metra line as well as it being a transfer point to 3 CTA and 3 Pace bus routes.

[garmon757]

Now if they can only get to 69th.

I was expecting the inside of a Coke Freestyle machine, with all the little cartridges for different flavors. Sometimes, those don't work so well either, and then they have to reboot the touchscreen.

Damn Gotta love that machine though!

[strictures]

Damn Gotta love that machine though!

The Coke Freestyle machine is great, up to a point.

If the restaurant is crowded, & they only have one machine, long waits.

Lots of people still can't figure it out.

The machine needs a Coke, Diet Coke & water dispenser on the side for those heavily used drinks.

That would speed things up.

[Mi604]

I have a few questions about Ventra related to a recent incident I had. I haven't had any luck getting answers from Ventra or the CTA, but perhaps someone here can help.

At the end of June, my Ventra card completely died, when I tapped it, there was no response at all from the farebox or turnstile. I was able to get a new card for free from a retailer, and assumed I would be able to go online to transfer my balance from my old card to the new one, after I registered it of course.

As it turns out, this isn't possible. One reason Ventra is supposed to exist is because it's an amazing new technology, and yet we can't transfer funds between cards online? Can someone explain this?

I callled Ventra, and you can't even transfer a balance over the phone, you need to actually visit the Ventra office. Why?

It wasn't worth the trouble to do that, so I reported a defective card online, and they sent out a new one with my balance transferred. However, there was a five dollar fee for the new card. Why am I paying to replace a defective card?

Also, why do these cards cost $5 at all. They can't possibly cost that much to produce. Assuming they do cost a lot less to make, where is the extra money that we're paying for the cards going?