[il-talk] Ventra Fare Machines

[Kelly Pierce]

I wanted to let everyone know that the Ventra Fare machines for the
Chicago Transit Authority and Pace have extremely low volume output.
This is so for both the external speakers and with headphones.  It
does not appear that the machines have a volume control mechanism, as
required by the 2010 ADA Guidelines for Accessible Design. The ADA
Compliance Manager for the CTA, Amy Serpe, has been alerted to the
issue for the past two weeks.  In the meantime, people can add fares
to Ventra cards at the retail locations on the Ventra website.

I have had a Ventra card for about three weeks now and found the
volume is so low that I cannot use the Ventra machine independently to
add money to a fare card.  I am not able to hear reliably all the
information being spoken.  Realize this is from a person who has used
many hundreds of talking ATMs, kiosks, postal machines, and voting
machines. I have never had a volume issue until now.  I also tried
registering my reduced fare Ventra card online and was unsuccessful.
Calls to Ventra customer service result in very long hold times. An
e-mail Sunday to Ventra has not been answered.

The Ventra rollout has just started and I wanted to inform the group
about these problems and temporary measures that can be taken to avoid
the hassles. As issues are resolved or new issues arise, I will post
updates.  If others have additional information, please share.


Kelly