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Ventra deadline pushed back

After a chorus of disapproval from some riders frustrated with glitches in using Pace and the CTA’s new fare system Ventra, the two agencies are pushing back a deadline to make the change.

The new program offers a variety of contactless cards that people can tap at turnstiles and fare boxes and provides for seamless transition between both Pace and the CTA.

However, customers have complained about being double-charged, which has occurred when they tap twice after experiencing delays in the first tap being processed. Other concerns are Ventra reader malfunctions and long wait times for customer service.

CTA President Forrest Claypool said Tuesday he had asked the contractor, Cubic Transportation Systems, to resolve the technical and customer service problems immediately.

“Though the system has met several of the high performance standards we’ve set for this project, and performance has been improving, the number of issues we’ve seen are simply unacceptable for our customers,” Claypool said in a statement.

Pace officials said the new deadlines to switch over to Ventra will be on a “to-be-determined basis.”

“We have experienced some customer complaints, but the vast majority are tapping on to the system and it’s working as it should,” Pace spokesman Patrick Wilmot said.

“The important thing is customers can continue with the old and new systems in parallel. When we’re more confident with the customer service, we’ll resume planning for the full implementation.”

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