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Vancouver’s Troubled Translink Card Means Cheap Fares for Riders

August 6th, 2015  |  News

It’s been a bumpy ride for Translink’s Compass Card. After six years in development and $195 million in costs, the card is scheduled to be rolled out officially over the next several weeks.

There are still some kinks to work out and one of those will mean cheaper bus fares for transit passengers. Starting October 5, transit users will be able to use a one-zone fare ticket to travel across all three zones in a day. Commuters will save even more money and time but only if they take the bus. The cheaper fare is not eligible on Sky Train routes.

"What that means is that any route that crosses a boundary will be cheaper to take by bus than by Skytrain," said Jordan Bateman, the B.C. director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

The Compass Card is intended to be Vancouver’s electronic fare system but issues arose when the on-board card validators took too long to read the card - potentially leading to long line-ups as people waited. The other challenge came from bus riders forgetting to tap out and being charged for traveling across multiple zones.

The temporary fare means big savings for customers but potential shortfalls for Translink - already $20 million over budget on the Compass Card project. Cathy McLay, CFO of TransLink, reported that Translink expects an increase in ridership that will offset any losses from fare revenue.

When asked if more buses would be scheduled as a result of ridership, McLay stated that it was unlikely due to a “No” vote in the recent referendum to increase sales tax for improvements to the transit system.

Courtesy of Adobe Stock