Software fix reduces delays for new transit card

Chicago’s transit system says the new Ventra fare cards are working better on buses following a software upgrade.

The Chicago Transit Authority issued a performance report Friday on Ventra, a new payment system that has had a rocky rollout. The new fare cards are replacing the nearly 20-year-old payment system of CTA and Pace, a suburban bus system.

CTA says Cubic Transportation Systems, the company behind Ventra, finished a fleet-wide software improvement earlier this month. The upgrade has sharply reduced delays being caused when the Ventra reader doesn’t sense the card.

CTA reports that the average speed for Ventra readers is now less than a second.

The transit agency says there’s “more progress to be made” and it will continue to monitor Ventra’s performance.