Why CTA doesn't innovate, their ticket systems still don't accept foreign credit/debit cards ?
Hello chicagoans! As European living across the atlantic, I've been visiting your wonderful city 5 times now and absolutely love it!
Something what bothers me everytime I'm visiting Chicago, is the CTA. In a city with about 2 milion visitors from foreign countries every year, you'd expect CTA being able to handle transactions from forein debit/credit cards. Their ticket machines from the 1980s reject my card no matter what ZIP code I use, tapping in with my physical card or Google Pay doesn't work either. Where bus drivers just let you on the bus without paying (since they know about the rpoblem), CTA staff at the staions aren't helpful. They'd tell me to withdrawal cash, buy a donut and get a ticket with the exact cash fare. Hello CTA this is 2026!
Can anyone explain to me why they don't seem to give a thing about foreigners not being able to pay?