Ventra is almost here, Chicago.
The Chicago Transit Authority's new payment system will begin its slow, steady and somewhat confusing rollout on Aug. 5 when students at some area universities -- including Rush Medical College, Northwestern University School of Law and Westwood College of Technology -- will receive U-Passes in the form of Ventra cards. From there, the schedule is as follows:
- All CPS students will receive Ventra cards during an orientation preceding the first day of school on Aug. 26.
The cards, which are also usable on Pace, will cost $5 apiece out of pocket, but that $5 cost will be credited to your Ventra account after registering the card by phone or online. Anyone paying with cash for their rail trip, rather than a registered Ventra card, will be charged a $3 fare rather than $2.25.
(The Ventra and CTA FAQ pages on the new system go into more detail concerning other questions.)
By December, the temporary magnetic-strip cards will be completely phased out and all card vending machines at CTA stations will be replaced by Ventra machines. Any remaining balance on such passes will be transferrable to a Ventra card through March 2014.