Ventra: It's Now Six Month And You Still Suck!
July 1st is right around the corner. It's next Tuesday to be exact. That's the drop dead date for when people riding public transportation in Chicago will need to use a Ventra card for payment.
I guess you can still use cash to pay so be sure to have $2.25 in your pocket. Actually, you really will need to have that 2 and a quarter handy because if your card or the machine malfunctions, that's what you'll have to pay to go for a ride.
WHAT A BUNCH OF BULLSHIT!
A few weeks ago I wrote Ventra: Epic fail. I mentioned if a card was not working, a rider would either need to pay cash or get off the bus. It took less than an hour until I saw that exact scenario.
The rider spent the next 15 minutes talking to Ventra Customer Service. Turned out it wasn't the card that was the problem. It was the Ventra machine. I know....I'm surprised to hear that, too (eyeroll).
Today I jumped on a bus and the Ventra machine was down. Free rides for everyone. I'm surprised we weren't asked to pay the $2.25 in cash.
I'd love to tell you that these were isolated incidents but that would be a big lie. Almost as big a lie as the CTA and Ventra telling us that everything is working great.
But don't worry...by July 1st all will be good to go.
WHAT A BUNCH OF BULLSHIT!