Parking a link: Chicago’s “Ventra” fare-payment system

Last updated on: January 20, 2014 at 1:00 pm by Jane the Actuary

Parking a link: Chicago’s “Ventra” fare-payment system 2014-01-20T13:00:00-06:00 Jane the Actuary

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First, the link: “Ventra’s Costs Put Nonprofits in a Bind.” (I don’t think this is behind a paywall, but you may be able to search based on the title if so.)

Second, the context: Over the past six months or so, Chicago has been transitioning to a new fare-payment system, the Ventra card. The system is contracted out (another example of privatization, which works better when the government isn’t corrupt and effectively selling off assets to pay short-term expenses — see the Skyway and parking meter debacles) and relies on moving users to a “smart card” meant to be reloaded and used repeatedly. As the article explains, $5 is paid, which is applied as a credit to the card when the user registers it online, with a permenent address and an e-mail address.

Now, the article itself concerns those nonprofits who are accustomed to buying single-ride passes to distribute to their clients to provide transportation to a job interview or doctor’s appointment. And the catch is that, while single-ride paper tickets still exist, the cost has gone up from $2.25 to $3.00 with a 25 cent transfer baked in as well as a $0.50 penalty for not having a Ventra card. This additional charge is a lot for these non-profits to absorb. The statement by the CTA management: “only tourists will use paper tickets, so it doesn’t matter that we’re charging extra.”

So I find that statement nearly as grating as the CTA’s indifference to the nonprofits’ problems. Tourists are not a cash cow. Every little extra charge adds up to, “let’s go somewhere else next time” or “let’s just drive into the city.” Personally? We usually take the Metra commuter rail into the city, but last October, I took my youngest to the nearest Park + Ride, and then took the El into the city, so he could experience riding it. How often am I going to repeat this, if infrequent users are penalized?

On top of which, I found it appalling — I hadn’t read this before — that one needs to provide an e-mail address to register the card. I’m astonished that this passed muster in a city in which large quantities of the population simply are unlikely to have an e-mail address at all.

And, for the life of me, I can’t figure out how reduced fares would work, for children. Is there a special Ventra card that’s coded for children’s fares? I can’t find anything about this.

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