Ventra - Feedback and Updates

[strictures]

​Besides that, we previously discussed that without closed fare areas, Metra couldn't enforce it (other than charging everyone a Zone J Fare if they didn't touch out), unless they went to something like I-Pass transponders.

​Yeah, the Northbrook stop actually lets people on/off on the street.

[Rippler]

Can anyone explain how the Reduced Fare works for seniors?  Do you get a different Ventra card that you can still scan the normal way with a photo on it?  Or do you get a 2nd card you have to also keep with you? 

[verive.m]

​Technically, you can associate your Google Wallet "MasterCard" with Ventra just like any other tap-and-pay card, but I think the card number might change sometimes. Not sure how that works. The app I have lets you scan a tap-and-pay card (e.g. a U-Pass/Ventra) and then makes your phone "echo" it back when tapped on the reader. It's slightly faster than the cards and sometimes easier to physically have ready, but there's really no other benefit.

​As a fellow Blue Demon, I've been trying to find an app like this!

[Busjack]

Can anyone explain how the Reduced Fare works for seniors?  Do you get a different Ventra card that you can still scan the normal way with a photo on it?  Or do you get a 2nd card you have to also keep with you? 

​One has to apply to the RTA for a card, but the fares then can be "loaded" onto the card, same as any other one.

 

[Busjack]

Maybe I'm giving away too much here:

I tried opening a Ventra account (by username) and tried to associate an RTA permit, but the website wouldn't do it, because the card was "already registered." I had to call customer service,  who took care of it. Very courteous, too.

[andrethebusman]

Ventra readers on buses are becoming more and more balky, it seems. Monday was particularly bad. Everybody had to tap five, six times at least. Makes me wonder if readers are "wearing out"?  Under normal conditions maybe half need a second tap to work. No wonder passengers have little good to say about Ventra.

Edited October 29, 2015 by andrethebusman

[Busjack]

Ventra readers on buses are becoming more and more balky, it seems. Monday was particularly bad. Everybody had to tap five, six times at least. Makes me wonder if readers are "wearing out"?  Under normal conditions maybe half need a second tap to work. No wonder passengers have little good to say about Ventra.

I don't think it is the readers, but the digital radio links in bad weather. Channel 7 conked out on my TV several times last night. Again, it is the inherent problem that bus readers rely on radio, while presumably the turnstile ones are hard wired.

[garmon757]

Has anybody witnessed this "0 Deadhead" on your card history page?

[Busjack]

Has anybody witnessed this "0 Deadhead" on your card history page?

That's been commented on before. 0 used to mean that the route was not entered in the farebox. Then we had the discussion whether a bus is in service even though it is to or from the garage. Did you board anything like that?

[Pace831]

From observation of anomalies in the transaction history, I think "0" is what is entered while actually deadheading, and appears in transaction history when the operator does not update the route number before boarding passengers. For the same reason, the wrong route number may be displayed if you board a run that has been on a different route earlier. If no route is entered, you will see "CTA Bus Default" (shown above) or "Pace Route".

Edited November 14, 2015 by Pace831
Clarification

[Kevin]

So the app is out, although of course I have 6 rides left on my Metra paper ticket that I rarely use.

I did purchase a one-way Metra ticket using the app. It was fairly straightforward, although the app is a bit rough around the edges and uses some non-conventional design patterns. I used a credit card to pay for the ticket, but you can also use your Ventra account balance or transit benefit balance.

The tickets are stored locally on your device and don't require a network connection to use them. Although I haven't used the ticket yet, my understanding is that they're simply an animation with a background color that changes upon tapping the screen to prove authenticity. It's a rather low tech implementation, but I'll gladly take it over waiting in lines and carrying around a piece of paper that the conductor punches like it's 1892.

[Pace831]

So the app is out, although of course I have 6 rides left on my Metra paper ticket that I rarely use.

I did purchase a one-way Metra ticket using the app. It was fairly straightforward, although the app is a bit rough around the edges and uses some non-conventional design patterns. I used a credit card to pay for the ticket, but you can also use your Ventra account balance or transit benefit balance.

The tickets are stored locally on your device and don't require a network connection to use them. Although I haven't used the ticket yet, my understanding is that they're simply an animation with a background color that changes upon tapping the screen to prove authenticity. It's a rather low tech implementation, but I'll gladly take it over waiting in lines and carrying around a piece of paper that the conductor punches like it's 1892.

When Metra conductors collect fares from the app, is there something special they have to do to confirm they are the conductor? In other words, is there a chance that someone could accidentally tap the screen and lose the ticket because the app then considers it collected?

[Kevin]

When Metra conductors collect fares from the app, is there something special they have to do to confirm they are the conductor? In other words, is there a chance that someone could accidentally tap the screen and lose the ticket because the app then considers it collected?

The tickets are good throughout the duration of the ride (based on scheduled trip duration for the zone in question). Once activating, you can switch to other apps and still bring up the active ticket throughout your ride.

See also: FAQ page, which has a page specifically about using Metra tickets.

 

Edited November 19, 2015 by Kevin
Removed CTA Twitter conversation embed since this forum text editor is a buggy piece of junk. Not that I'm bitter

[Busjack]

See also: FAQ page, which has a page specifically about using Metra tickets.

 

 

That indicated that tapping the ticket only changed the animation to assure that the ticket was genuine, as opposed to I suppose someone using a paint program to create one.

The FAQ page didn't seem completely clear whether you can buy a half fare ticket through the app, just that showing a virtual ticket was not enough and you had to show your RTA permit to the conductor, instead of having the permit embedded in the app.

[Pace831]

So I asked a friend who had early access to the app about this. Both he and CTA chimed in. Short answer: The tickets are good through the duration of the ride. Once activating, you can switch to other apps and still bring up the active ticket throughout your ride.

See also: FAQ page, which has a page specifically about using Metra tickets.

 

 

That's interesting. From what I read in the Tribune about the test period, it sounded like the ticket would be instantly "punched" when someone touches the screen. Maybe that was the case for the trial app but has been improved. I assume there is an "Are you sure?" prompt before the ticket is activated to prevent the situation I asked about. I bet a lot of conductors won't bother to check the "color change" feature though. It would slow down fare collection too much if they did.

[Kevin]

I assume there is an "Are you sure?" prompt before the ticket is activated to prevent the situation I asked about. I bet a lot of conductors won't bother to check the "color change" feature though. It would slow down fare collection too much if they did.

Yep, there's a confirmation prompt before activating. I plan to just tap the screen myself to trigger the color change as the conductor comes by.

The FAQ page didn't seem completely clear whether you can buy a half fare ticket through the app, just that showing a virtual ticket was not enough and you had to show your RTA permit to the conductor, instead of having the permit embedded in the app.

There are options to buy senior, disability, student, and military fares. As you noted, the app warns that you must also present an RTA permit in order to use those tickets.

[Busjack]

... I bet a lot of conductors won't bother to check the "color change" feature though. It would slow down fare collection too much if they did.

Maybe not the color change per se, but the whole issue gets down to whether a conductor needs a substitute for sticking a paper ticket into the clip on the seat. It may be one thing if everyone is going downtown, another if someone with the illustrated C-E ticket is still on the train in Zone H.

Come to think of it, I bet it is real fun for the conductor to inspect virtual tickets for riders on the upper level.

I wonder if trainman can chime in on whether the conductors got any training on this.*

_____

*2 puns.

[Pace831]

Maybe not the color change per se, but the whole issue gets down to whether a conductor needs a substitute for sticking a paper ticket into the clip on the seat. It may be one thing if everyone is going downtown, another if someone with the illustrated C-E ticket is still on the train in Zone H.

Come to think of it, I bet it is real fun for the conductor to inspect virtual tickets for riders on the upper level.

I wonder if trainman can chime in on whether the conductors got any training on this.*

_____

*2 puns.

I don't think there will much of an effect on fare fraud. Someone determined to beat the system can do the same tricks with a paper ticket. The one new trick that people may try is to buy a reduced fare ticket in hopes that the conductor won't notice they aren't eligible. They rarely ask for ID when presented with paper reduced fare tickets, but presumably the ticket agent did check. 

On the upper level collection, people are going to pull their phone away before the conductor can verify the ticket, again slowing down fare collection. I personally would be afraid of dropping my phone if I were sitting there. The best thing is to do the "color check" yourself as Kevin said he'd do.

[Busjack]

...

On the upper level collection, people are going to pull their phone away before the conductor can verify the ticket, again slowing down fare collection. I personally would be afraid of dropping my phone if I were sitting there. The best thing is to do the "color check" yourself as Kevin said he'd do.

As I indicated, it wasn't so much the color check as the zone check.

[MTRSP1900-CTA3200]

It appears the FAQ page answered my question about tickets on delayed trains. Good to know, since the trains I'm familiar with don't ever seem to be on time.

[garmon757]

 

Features of the app including transit tracker and check your card!

[BusHunter]

There's so many popups at ventrachicago.com that the last two months I've been using primarily the machines as the net version is unusable. I couldn't even find out a cards expiration. it's so much easier at the machines

[Kevin]

7 hours ago, BusHunter said:

There's so many popups at ventrachicago.com that the last two months I've been using primarily the machines as the net version is unusable. I couldn't even find out a cards expiration. it's so much easier at the machines

Can you clarify what pop ups you're seeing at ventrachicago.com?

[BusHunter]

1 minute ago, Kevin said:

Can you clarify what pop ups you're seeing at ventrachicago.com?

For the new app. Mostly problems on my Android phone, I can use the website on my pc, but alot of times the time you would want to check something is while you are mobile.

[Pace831]

Here's an example of the generic "Pace Route". In this case the cause seemed to be that the operator was unable to log in properly. She and the driver she was relieving spent about 5 minutes trying to figure it out until they called someone to get a solution, which had something to do with keys. During this process the sign went from normal to "TO Garage" to blank and then back to normal when they figured it out. Then once the bus got to Stateville I saw the operator pushing buttons and the Ventra reader changed to "Not in use", and remained that way for the rest of the trip. Nothing happened on the return trip on the same bus.

Whatever was going on, I had to pay an extra quarter because of it, since transfers in Joliet are supposed to be free!