Metra riders should have a smoother commute on Monday, as the agency says tech teams have worked through issues encountered by the Ventra mobile app.
The agency, who launched a new pricing system this week, was bedeviled by several issues with the Ventra app on Thursday and Friday, but expressed confidence that the app will function normally for the Monday commute.
“Metra’s mobile app vendor has worked diligently through the weekend to correct the issues from last week. At this point, the vendor is confident the app will perform as intended, in advance of tomorrow’s morning rush hour,” the agency said.
The app suffered those issues on both Thursday and Friday, with some customers unable to purchase or pull up tickets on their mobile devices.
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"The Ventra App is available for ticket purchases. Passengers may experience intermittent purchase errors" the railway agency said over the weekend. "Metra continues to work with their vendor for a complete resolution of the issue."
The errors first started Thursday morning on a "big day" for Metra as numerous ticketing and fare changes took effect. Among those changes were the closures of ticketing windows, with Metra urging many riders to instead purchase their tickets through the Ventra app.
Riders began posting error messages to social media Thursday morning, with many being told they were "offline" or needed to "check internet connection." Others reported purchasing their tickets and being charged, but never receiving the tickets.
Local
Metra confirmed around 7:15 a.m. Thursday that the app was down and "technical support is working to resolve the issue."
Metra told NBC Chicago the cause of the app crash remains under investigation.
A spokesperson said the issues started around 6 a.m. and by 6:45 a.m. "we knew the app was down." The spokesperson said a "significant number of people" were impacted.
Ticket windows were expected to close on all of the railway agency's lines starting Thursday. According to Metra, windows already closed on BNSF line by Jan. 8, but all remaining ticket windows, including those at downtown Chicago stations, were slated to shutter on Feb. 1.
Vending machines have been placed at the busiest stops impacted by the decision, with riders encouraged to use the Ventra app on their mobile devices.
Ventra had been labeled the agency’s preferred method of purchasing tickets.
