Ventra Card Launching Over Next Two Months

Chicago’s new Ventra transit card will begin its rollout process starting next month, with the service becoming available to all customers starting Sept. 9, CTA and Pace announced Monday.

The new open-fare card system will merge transit cards with debit cards, unifying payment methods for the CTA and Pace, and perhaps one day the Metra.

CTA says Ventra will first become available for university students, with the first being students attending Rush Medical School, Westwood College of Technology and Northwestern University School of Law. In addition, Chicago Card and Chicago Card Plus holders who verified their addresses via email will receive their free Ventra cards the week of Aug. 19.

“The launch of Ventra, the new, convenient, modern and reliable fare payment system for our customers, is right around the corner,” said CTA President Forrest Claypool. “We’re excited to welcome the first users and eager to educate all of our customers about the benefits of Ventra, which will replace an outdated, nearly 20-year-old system with a modern, efficient one that will allow faster boarding, account management and balance protection when the card is registered.”

Chicago Public School students will receive their cards during school orientation, prior to the first day of school on Aug. 26.

All other customers can purchase Ventra cards starting Sept. 9. In the meantime, the CTA and Pace encourage customers to “spend it down,” or to begin spending down fare balances in the transition to the new system.
In December, magnetic facecards will no longer be accepted.

Weekend passes, pay-per-ride and unlimited use cards are available for the same price, but the cash cost for the train will rise to $3.

The new system incorporates a debit card function and can be found at more than 2,000 CTA stations and neighborhood retailers.

Initially, Ventra incorporated numerous fees, such as $5 to sign up for a card.
After protests from citizens and lawkmakers, the CTA waived the fee if riders sign up this year.

A $2.95 fee to reload the card online and a $2 charge to speak to Ventra customer service representative were also eliminated.