DePaul University gets onboard with Ventra transit fare program
18 September, 2013
category: Education, Privilege Control
DePaul University students have now joined the millions of Chicago residents adjusting to the new Chicago Transit Authority payment system: Ventra, according to The DePaulia.
“I love it,” sophomore Lindsey Pellegrini said. It beeps and you go. And you can keep it for a longer period of time. Other students tweeted about issues regarding their credit cards being charged by the Ventra scanner. Michelle Miller, who distributed the Ventra cards for DePaul ID Services, said it is a “myth that the credit card gets charged.”
While some Ventra cards can also be used as Visa cards, Miller clarified that student Ventra cards are not associated with Visa. She assured that the only card scanned at the turnstile would be the Ventra card.
For students who registered late and whose information could not go through the university system in time, ID Services distributed temporary 7-Day cards until the students’ Ventra cards arrived.
“I like that it’s an actual card instead of a flimsy piece of laminated paper,” one student said.
The final day to use the old magnetic strip cards is December 15 and the final day to transfer funds from the strip cards to Ventra is March 31, 2014, according to the CTA.
According to the CTA website, Chicago will be the first major U.S. city to use a system like Ventra. With the Ventra system, boarding buses and trains will be easier and faster. The CTA also plans to increase the number of locations available to purchase and refill value on the cards, shortening lines at vending machines.
