In addition, it’s possible for clients to run up a negative balance on their card that, to continue using the card, the organization has to pay off.
#Ventra card five dollars back registration#
While the CTA refunds the $5 as credit for future rides if the account is registered, staff must spend time managing that registration process, and checking often to see how much value each card has left.
The money they spend on the new Ventra fee could otherwise be spent on hundreds of thousands in additional rides for job seekers. It starts with the cost of a new card.
The report says that for the organizations to provide fares to their clients they have to spend more time and money. A new report from the Chicago Jobs Council details the burdens that Ventra fare policies and ticket ordering delays place on social service organization staff members and money dedicated to helping clients. The jobs council works to change laws and policies to increase access to jobs for marginalized workers. Photo: CTAĮver since the Chicago Transit Authority and Pace switched from magnetic stripe fare cards to the Ventra smart card system in 2013, social service providers across Chicago have been spending more money on paying for their clients’ transit rides, and giving out fewer rides. Ventra replaced simpler and cheaper ways for social service organizations to procure transit cards for their clients. A CTA staffer demonstrates how a Ventra machine works.