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OK - it's Friday (TGIF btw) and I am going to unload a M_A_J_O_R VENTra...I got my card in the mail; followed the instuctions to activate it (very poor btw) and received a message that 'my card is already activated' (wtf). OK - I'll play along. I do not know the access code (never set it up - do-h); cannot log in to retrieve it (two strikes for you), so I call the "toll free" number (what a joke); and to speak with someone about it I am told

(with a very cheery female voice (oh spare me honey) "your wait time will be approximately 26 minutes". yeah right. like I have NOTHING better to do than sit on hold

and listen to this nauseating music (good thing I collect barf bags from southwest airlines (now THERE is a company with awesome customer service btw - can you say capitalism with a KAPITAL SEE?????). VENTRA darling - you get a BIG FAT F- in my grade book. I am flushing this lovely little card down the toilet. Oh wait - i will use my handy dandy "pick puncher" and make some nice guitar picks out of you; it was nice knowing you. and why do I hate the CTA ??? let me count the ways. When I get even a B+ from my customers I have to meet with them to see what ever I can do to change that grade to an A+.

 

OK - I feel SO much better now...TGIF

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But you can use VENTRA on the RTA! 

 

The RTA!

 


Cameron 7.5 mi said:

Or the Chicago Card.

We had a perfectly functional electronic fare payment system. Most major cities also have perfectly functional electronic fare systems. Why invent something new that does exactly the same thing as existing systems and roll it out an a massive scale with no testing.



Fran Kondorf said:

Trying to follow this makes my head hurt.

Kind of makes you miss tokens, doesn't it?

 

Great article by Jason Prechtel yesterday, re; Cubic's other fun-filled transit troubles-

http://gapersblock.com/mechanics/2013/11/11/ventras-parent-company-...

I remember those. One thing I like better about the current policy is that it allows round trips. We didn't get those on a transfer back in the day.

Thunder Snow said:


Yep.

Token & paper transfers, from a simpler time.  Unless you let your transfer get soggy in the rain...


Fran Kondorf said:

Kind of makes you miss tokens, doesn't it?

And for a good percentage of Chicagoans they allowed free trips.

Anne Alt said:

I remember those. One thing I like better about the current policy is that it allows round trips. We didn't get those on a transfer back in the day.

Thunder Snow said:


Yep.

Token & paper transfers, from a simpler time.  Unless you let your transfer get soggy in the rain...


Fran Kondorf said:

Kind of makes you miss tokens, doesn't it?

h' $550 said:

And for a good percentage of Chicagoans they allowed free trips.

Well, there's that.... and then there were rampant stories of CTA employees this person or that person knew who had bags of them in their (home) garages.

Thunder Snow said:

h' $550 said:

And for a good percentage of Chicagoans they allowed free trips.

Aldermen calling for CTA reps to appear before city council and 'splain themselves.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/23539960-418/aldermen-w...

I'm still using the old CTA card and went to a station to add money and the lone machine was out of order!? As I see more Ventra card users getting waved through I might get one and ride the CTA for free due to technical problems.

Good incentive to get the damn card actually. By my own informal estimate it looks like about 1/4 of those attempting to use it end up getting waved through.

Mike Zumwalt said:

I'm still using the old CTA card and went to a station to add money and the lone machine was out of order!? As I see more Ventra card users getting waved through I might get one and ride the CTA for free due to technical problems.
Yep. According to WTTW Ventral has given 15,000 free rides and the CTAis suing them for $30,000+

h' $550 said:

Good incentive to get the damn card actually. By my own informal estimate it looks like about 1/4 of those attempting to use it end up getting waved through.

Mike Zumwalt said:

I'm still using the old CTA card and went to a station to add money and the lone machine was out of order!? As I see more Ventra card users getting waved through I might get one and ride the CTA for free due to technical problems.
I boarded the Chicago ave bus this morning at the blue line- myself and at least three other people got free rides because the machine was stuck in processing mode.

I got a Ventra card a few weeks ago but haven't activated it yet.  My employer would regularly dump $75 a month onto my Chicago Card but it was always hovering at the maximum amount since I was commuting on the bike.  The last autoload will be in December (assuming my balance isn't large enough to prevent the transaction) and I'm worried about losing that balance if I switch.

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