CTA to Enhance Ventra Card Readers

New decals expected to be placed on more than 2600 rail, bus readers by Jan. 6

Even as they admit over a million dollars in free rides, since the introduction of the star-crossed Ventra system, the CTA announced Tuesday they are going to begin applying decals to card readers on buses and trains, in an effort show riders the best way to assure that their cards will be read.

“The enhancements include adding easy-to-understand graphic decals to every rail turnstile and bus Ventra reader, to identify the optimal location for card placement,” the agency said in a statement. “The new decals will help customers new to Ventra, or infrequent users, including out-of-town visitors, with the placement of their Ventra or contactless card for easier payment and boarding.”

The agency says bus customers will also soon notice that Ventra readers will be re-located to directly face customers as they board buses, hopefully improving passenger flow.

All decals are expected to be placed on more than 2600 rail and bus readers by January 6.

CTA officials on Monday said their vendor, Cubic Transportation Systems, had agreed to pay roughly $1.2 million for glitches, which have resulted in 930,061 free rides between Oct. 1 and Dec 19.

Contact Us