Some Ventra app issues lingered for Metra riders Friday morning, marking the second straight day of ticketing troubles, though the rail agency said improvements have been made.
According to an alert from Metra, the Ventra app may work for some riders, but a full fix is still not in place.
"The Ventra App is available for ticket purchases. Passengers may experience intermittent purchase errors" the railway agency said. "Metra continues to work with their vendor for a complete resolution of the issue."
The errors first started Thursday morning on a "big day" for Metra as numerous ticketing and fare changes took effect. Among those changes were the closures of ticketing windows, with Metra urging many riders to instead purchase their tickets through the Ventra app.
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Riders began posting error messages to social media Thursday morning, with many being told they were "offline" or needed to "check internet connection." Others reported purchasing their tickets and being charged, but never receiving the tickets.
Metra confirmed around 7:15 a.m. Thursday that the app was down and "technical support is working to resolve the issue."
Local
Metra told NBC Chicago the cause of the app crash remains under investigation.
A spokesperson said the issues started around 6 a.m. and by 6:45 a.m. "we knew the app was down." The spokesperson said a "significant number of people" were impacted.
Ticket windows were expected to close on all of the railway agency's lines starting Thursday. According to Metra, windows already closed on BNSF line by Jan. 8, but all remaining ticket windows, including those at downtown Chicago stations, were slated to shutter on Feb. 1.
Vending machines have been placed at the busiest stops impacted by the decision, with riders encouraged to use the Ventra app on their mobile devices.
Ventra had been labeled the agency’s preferred method of purchasing tickets.
Check back for more on this developing story.
