MBTA works to address faulty CharlieTickets

CharlieCards are still working, as are CharlieTickets purchased at MBTA vending machines, an official said.Brian Feulner for the Boston Globe

MBTA employees were ready at subway entrances this afternoon to help customers whose CharlieTickets are not working because of a computer glitch, officials said.

Transit tickets sold through the MBTA Corporate Pass Program are being rejected at subway entrances, according to MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo, due to a technical mistake by a contractor working for the transit system.

Many people who buy rapid transit passes through their employers will have to get new CharlieTickets. The issue does not affect people who only ride commuter rail trains.

CharlieCards are still working, as are CharlieTickets purchased at MBTA vending machines, Pesaturo said.

Customers holding the problematic CharlieTickets should retain them for use on the commuter rail and will be given separate CharlieCards for use on subway and bus lines, Pesaturo said.

“The MBTA is talking with the ticket-maker about the situation, and how best to rectify it. The MBTA apologizes to its Corporate Pass Program participants for the inconvenience,” Pesaturo said.

The Corporate Pass Program allows employees of participating companies to have the cost of monthly passes deducted from their paychecks.

During today’s afternoon commute, the MBTA will station employees at subway entrances with instructions to wave through passengers holding valid monthly CharlietTickets. The company that encrypts the tickets has begun distributing new ones to participants in the Corporate Pass Program, Pesaturo said.

Customers can also go to the MBTA’s CharlieCard store at Downtown Crossing, North Station, South Station, and Back Bay Station to replace their malfunctioning tickets, Pesaturo said.