Translink, the transit company we all love to hate, has done it again – or as the case may be, hasn’t done it…yet.
Looking to streamline the transit system and cut back on the waste of one-use paper transit tickets, Translink promised Vancouverites a Compass card system.
The Compass card is supposed to be like a transit credit card; you fill it up and then charge your transit fares to it. A simple tap on the Compass validation pad when you enter and exit transit will charge you the correct fare depending on the number of zones you travel, which is determined by where you start and finish your ride. This is easy enough in Skytrain and Seabus stations seeing as they have all been fitted with special gates to allow Compass card tapping. However, Translink plans to apply the same “tap on” “tap off” method to charge bus fares and the oh-so-important “tap off” part of the plan still doesn’t work on busses.
Translink is wrestling with the problem of people forgetting to “tap off” of the bus – easy to do during rush hour, and validation pads that don’t notice the tap. So if you remember to “tap off” when getting off the bus the Compass card might be charged the right fare, but you could also be charge the maximum daily rate.
The Oyster Card system in London works impeccably, especially considering how complex their transit system is. With practically ten times the population of Vancouver, London seems to manage their transit very well indeed. One key feature of the Oyster Card is that when riding a bus you only have to “tap on”. Perhaps Translink should look at one of the world’s most successful (if not the most) transit card systems and follow London’s lead.
Over a year past their scheduled launch date and more than $20 million over their $194 million budget, Translink raises doubts about whether they are capable of delivering the reliable public transit system the people of the lower mainland deserve. B.C. transportation minister, Todd Stone, calls for accountability, saying “Translink has got to get their head around who is responsible for this program.”
Though they are adamant on making this “tap off” idea work on busses, they may have to reconsider. Even the supplier of the technology, Cubic Transportation, has warned Translink that using that this idea likely won’t work. The alternate plan is that busses have a flat rate that everyone pays, regardless of the distance.
What do you think of Translink? Do you have a Compass card?
Written by: Savannah Duggan
Image via buzzer.translink
