LAKEVIEW — Confused about the CTA's new Ventra fare system?
State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz and State Senate President John Cullerton plan to host an informational session on Wednesday, Aug. 28 outside the Town Hall Police District headquarters, 850 W. Addison St.
The two-hour session starting at 4 p.m. will be supplemented by one of CTA's white Ventra buses, where transit riders will be able to test the system. The buses feature videos and info pamphlets, and CTA officials will be on hand to help users with any confusion.
Ventra officially replaces current transit payment methods in September, and by December, old magnetic tickets will be unusable.
Though Ventra is intended to update a nearly two-decade old fare system, it's faced criticism for increased costs of single rides and fees related to debit card charges. In response, the CTA eliminated some fees and lowered others, including customer service charges and charges for paper statements.
CTA officials have said educational outreach efforts have lowered the number of calls from confused customers.
“Taking public transportation is part of the daily routine for most of the residents in my district,” Feigenholtz said in a statement. “We want to make sure that residents are equipped with all of the necessary information to make their transition to the new Ventra system as seamless as possible.”
