>> SOME PUBLIC TRANSIT RIDERS

ARE COMPLAINING THE LAUNCH OF AT

THE

CTA NEW

VENTRA CARD

SYSTEM

IS A BUMPY RIDE.

HERE WITH

THE LATEST IS VENTRA

ROLL-OUT AND MORE IS THE

CTA'S

VICE PRESIDENT OF

MARKETING.

THANK YOU FOR COMING BACK AND

JOINING US.

>> MY PLEASURE.

>> SO AT THE BEAR'S GAME, ONE OF

THE PRODUCERS IS

BEHIND SOMEONE

USING HIS VENTRA

CARD, TRIES

IT

FOUR TIMES, VERY

FRUSTRATED.

THERE ARE STILL SOME REAL

PROBLEMS WITH THIS CARD.

RIGHT?

>> THIS ISN'T ACTUALLY.

THE ROTE-OUT HAS

GONE

OVERALL

VERY SMOOTH.

WE'VE ALREADY

RECORDED

3.6 MILLION CAPS OF THE

SYSTEM

WITH 600,000 VENTRA

ACCOUNTS

ELECTRIC REGISTER.

THAT'S IS QUICK ADOPTION OF THE

SYSTEM.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN

ABOUT

20 YEARS THAT THE

CTA

CHANGED

THE SYSTEM AND OUR

PARTNERS

HAVE

PACE

HAVE JOINED

US.

ANY TIME YOU

DO

SUCH A LARGE

ROLL-OUT YOU SEE

ISSUES.

THESE ISSUES WERE

MINOR.

APPARENTLY THEY'VE AFFECTED JUST

A SMALL AMOUNT OF PEOPLE.

MOST IMPORTANTLY THEY'VE BEEN

ADDRESSED QUICKLY AND IN SOME

CASES THAT VERY

DAY.

>> IS THERE NO

LONGER

A PROBLEM

WITH PEOPLE BEING DOUBLE

CHARGED?

>> THERE NEVER WAS A PROBLEM

WITH THAT.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE REFERRING TO IS

ONE OF ADVANTAGES OF

THE VENTRA

SYSTEM.

THIS IS AN OPEN SYSTEM.

YOU CAN USE THE VENTRA CARD

YOU

CAN BUY AT

RETAILERS BUT YOU CAN

USE

YOUR OWN PERSONAL CONTACT

WITH DEBIT OR CREDIT.

THE VENTRA SYSTEM ONLY READS

ONE

OF THOSE CARDS.

SO WE DO

RECOMMEND THAT RIDERS

TAKE OUT

THAT CARD.

>> BUT YOU UNDERSTAND THE FRANKS

BECAUSE

WITH

THE OTHER CARDS

PEOPLE DIDN'T HAVE TO GET

ON.

PEOPLE GET ON THE TRAINS AND

BUSES WITH THEIR

LUNCH AND THE

NOTION HAVING TO PULL IT OUT

SEEMS LIKE A LACK OF

CONVENIENCE.

VENTRA

IS THE SAME

SYSTEM AS

CHASE BANK CARD AND THEY DIDN'T

KNOW THAT.

>> WE THINK THERE ARE A NUMBER

OF CONVENIENCES THAT

CUSTOMERS

ARE SLOWLY

LEARNING THAT

THEY

REALIZE ARE A GREAT ADVANTAGE

OVER THE LEGACY

FARE SYSTEM.

PRIMARILY THE BALANCE

PROTECTION.

IF YOU BUY

AN OLD STRIPED CARDS

OF TECHNOLOGY THAT'S BEEN AROUND

FOR TWO DECADES

NOW, SAY YOU

PUT

$20 ON THAT CARD AND IT FALLS

OUT, THAT MONEY

IS GONE.

WITH THE VENTRA SYSTEM WITH

A

REGISTERED

CARD, THAT VALUE IS

RESTORED.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER

CONVENIENCES,

YOU GET

ALERTS

ABOUT YOUR CARD.

THINK PEOPLE WILL BECOME

ACCUSTOMED.

THERE'S A

LEARNING CURVE AND

WE'VE BEEN HEARING A

LOT OF

POSITIVE FEEDBACK SO FAR.

>> BUT I'LL TELL YOU,

WE'VE

HEARD A FAIR AMOUNT O

F NEGATIVE,

INCLUDING PEOPLE SAYING

THEY

SPEND 20

MINUTES ON THE PHONE

WITH VENTRA WHEN THEY

DON'T HAVE

20 MINUTES IN THAT BUSY

DAY.

JUST PUT ME IN THE

ROOM, BECAUSE

YOU WANT TO

ROLL

OUT

THE

SEEMLESS, EVEN THOUGH THERE WILL

BE GLITCHES.

YOU WANT IT TO BE PERFECT IN THE

BEGINNING.

I

WOULD

ASSUME THE

CTA WANTS IT

TO BE PEST, TOO.

PUT ME IN THE ROOM WITH YOU

GUYS

ON ONE PHONE AND VENTRA ON THE

OTHER ABOUT WHAT YOU SAID

ABOUT

HOW WELL OR READY THEY

WERE FOR

PRIME TIME.

>> THAT'S THE REASON WE'VE

BEEN

DOING A PHASED ROLL-OUT.

WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT

THIS

FOR OVER TWO

YEARS NOW.

BY PHASING THE

ROLL-OUT AND

SLOWLY INTRODUCING CUSTOMERS,

WE'RE TABLE TO GET THROUGH

ISSUES THAT ARE MAINER ISSUES.

FOR EXAMPLE, ONE

ISSUE ON DAY

ONE CAME OUT

AT 9:00 IN THE

MORNING AND FIXED BY

ABOUT

2:00 OR 3:00 IN THE

AFTERNOON.

IT IMPACTED A

SMALL

AMOUNT OF

CUSTOMERS AND WE WERE ABLE TO

ADDRESS

IT.

WE HAND A HANDFUL OF

ISSUES THAT

HAVE IMPACTED A

FAIRLY NUMBER OF

CUSTOMERS.

>> HOW MANY?

>> I DON'T HAVE A TOTAL COUNT

BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T TALLIED

THAT.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF

WAYS TO

GET THE INFORMATION BUT GET BACK

TO THE NUMBERS YOU LET OFF

WITH,

3.9 MILLION TABS IN UNDER

TEN

DAYS

WITH 600,000

VENTRA

ACCOUNTS BEING

ESTABLISHED.

THAT INDICATES THINGS ARE GOING

AS WE

ANTICIPATED AND NORM

PEOPLE ARE ENJOYING THE

BENEFITS.

>> SWITCHING GEARS, THERE'S A

LOT OF

CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE

ASHLAND AVENUE

RAPID TRANSIT BUS

LANE THAT'S BEING

DISCUSSED.

THAT WOULD MEAN MOVING THE

BIG

BEAUTIFUL PLANTERS OUT OF THE

WAY.

THERE'S A BIG CONCERN

THAT THEY

WON'T BE ABLE TO TURN LEFT

BECAUSE

OF THAT

RAPID TRANSIT.

WHAT WILL

HAPPEN?

>> THE CONCERN IS

MISINFORMATION.

ONE THING YOU MENTION IS NOT

TRUE.

WE

WON'T BE ABLE TO

MOVE A

MEDIAN.

THE INFRASTRUCTURE WILL REMAIN.

>> THE AULDERMEN I TALKED TO

BELIEVE YOU WERE

GOING

TO.

THAT MISINFORMATION MAY BE

EXISTING AT CITY HALL.

>> WE'VE BEEN WORKING HARD TO

GET IT OUT TO THE PUBLIC AND

PROVIDING THE INFORMATION OF ALL

THE BENEFITS.

>> WHAT ABOUT THE LEFT-HAND

TURN?

>> THAT'S AN ISSUE WE'RE

DISCUSSING NOW.

WE'VE BEEN HAVING A

NUMBER

OF

SMALL

LOCALIZED

PUBLIC

MEETINGS.

THERE'S BEEN ONE

ISSUE THAT'S

EMERGED.

>> WILL IT WEIGH IN AN IMMEDIATE

WAY?

>> THE PUBLIC DECISIONS ALWAYS

WEIGHS IN ABOUT

NEW

INFRASTRUCTURE.

WHAT WE'VE NOTICED,

BRT IS A

SYSTEM THAT'S BEEN AROUND FORBES

DECADES.

IT'S BEEN IMPLEMENTED NOT ONLY

IN CITIES ACROSS

THE COUNTRY BUT

THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

EACH AND EVERY CASE IT'S

BEEN A

SUCCESS IN CONVERTING

PEOPLE TO

TRANSIT USERS,

ADDRESSING

CONGESTION.

WE THINK THERE'S A GREAT

OPPORTUNITY IN

ASHLAND AND WE'VE

HEARD A SMALL COURSE

OF PEOPLE

VOICE DISPLEASURE.

WE WANT TO ENGAGE THAT PUBLIC

AND REALLY GET THE FEEDBACK AND

COME UP WITH A

PLAN THAT WORKS

FOR THE ENTIRE CITY.

>> VERY FAST, LIKE IS A

SECONDS,

CTA HAS A SAFETY

CAMPAIGN.

YOU THINK EVERYBODY

IS IN FAVOR

OF SAFETY.

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE MAD

ABOUT THAT, RIGHT CENTURY.

>> IN THE

THAT I'VE HEARD

OF.

>> SOMEBODY GOES DOWN THE

TRACKS,

PICKS UP THEIR CELL

PHONE.

>> WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO DO

THAT.

>> EXPERTS SHOULD NOT BE ON THE

TRACKS.

THAT'S WHAT THE SAY CAMPAIGN

FOCUSES O