May 14--The debut of the Ventra smartphone app for tickets, scheduled for this month or June, is being pushed back until the fall, transit officials said Thursday.
The CTA, Metra and Pace said they are working with a consultant with expertise on testing apps, Smart Chicago Collaborative's Civic User Testing Group, to iron out undisclosed issues with the Ventra mobile-ticketing app, which is designed to let commuters purchase fares and manage their Ventra accounts from their smartphones.
"We get to make a first impression once, and we want the Ventra app to make a great first impression on CTA, Metra and Pace customers," said Michael Gwinn, CTA director of fare systems.
CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase said the app's basic functions work, but "the user experience, we don't think, is there yet."
The CTA previously said it would recruit 100 Ventra customers to test the app by now, prior to the original general release date.
Chase said customer testing will start in June and will be carried out by the Civic User Testing Group free of charge. It will include "functions to purchase fares, manage transit accounts and get real-time arrival and departure information for all three transit providers," a CTA statement said.
jhilkevitch@tribpub.com
