the last time I used this awful app was in 2016. It was buggy, slow and just an awful user experience. Thankfully I no longer needed to use it for almost a decade until I moved and got rid of my car, walking to most places or Ubering. However, on the rare occasion where I need to go to the suburbs the Metra is the best option. So I resurrected the app on my phone thinking the bugs have to be ironed out after 8 years right? After updating it I chose a ticket for my route, got to the cart…and the ‘Purchase’ button was so low on my phones screen that it interfered with the slide out drawer of my iPhone. The developers placed their only means to purchase their product below another form of UI interaction. The FOCUS of the app completely rendered useless. Clicking on the button does absolutely nothing. For all I know it could be because it’s just broken in general and maybe not because it was implemented and designed in an awful spot. Metra must be receiving kickbacks for riders purchasing physical tickets at the booths. The Metra must be thinking “Let’s make the app completely irrelevant our passengers can thank us 8 years from now.”

Technically, the app works. Functionally, it feels like it was built by people who have never used transit. The Transit app is far better at helping you see times and where vehicles actually are on approach. Heck, the built-in Maps app is better at routing, if only from a usability standpoint. Basically, I only use the Ventra app to add money to my Ventra card, and that’s it. Seems like a missed opportunity, but whatever. What’s maddening is that the Ventra app still won’t let you use ApplePay to set up auto-pay. Ventra’s fine print says they can’t because of Apple’s terms of use, but that changed a few years ago. Ventra still hasn’t added it. It’s in their best interests to have as many people on autopay as possible, but again - whatever. It takes my ApplePay payment just fine when I get a chance to come to the app and do it manually. (Oh - and when your account gets low, Ventra sends you an email, which is great. But it’s hard-formatted html that thinks you’re sitting in front of a large computer monitor, or that you’re going to .. print it out?! Neither of those connects to the universe I live in. The formatting is so small it’s impossible to read on a phone’s screen. All they have to do is less. Let the text wrap and be big enough. If you want to be fancy, have it detect the device first. Let your emails be useful, Ventra. Again, designed by executives who don’t read their own email and who drive everywhere. And … whatever.

Downloaded the VENTRA app and should have noticed the 2 stars that the app had. Great concept if it worked. Poor execution as they charged me for the CTA pass but didn’t load it onto the Ventra account. The pass is shown in the app as “In Queue” and has remained in this state for almost a week! I was forced to purchase a paper CTA pass to travel during my stay in Chicago. Called Ventra Customer Service twice and was looped into the endless phone loop. Finally got a person to answer the phone and was told they will NOT refund the pass fare and would only transfer it to a physical Ventra card. I explained that I did not live in Chicago and would have no need for a Ventra Card. She told me that they WILL NOT issue refunds to NON-ILLINOIS residents. What?! When I told her that the CTA agent told me to purchase and paper pass and ask for a refund from Ventra, she replied “Don’t ever listen to a CTA agent.” She refused to escalate the call and basically did nothing to help even though the problem was with the Ventra App. Beware.