Earlier this week, Translink announced it would officially begin closing fare gates on April 4, and eventually close all gates by April 8 to move ahead with the final phase of the Compass card rollout.
The provincial government has stepped in however, and announced Translink will not be allowed to close fare gates until accessibility issues are addressed for those who are unable to ‘tap in’ and ‘tap out’ with a Compass card despite Translink offering station assistance to aid people with mobility limitations.
“Our message to them is you have to assure unfettered access to every person no matter what their circumstance, whether they’re seniors or persons with disabilities,” said Peter Fassbender, B.C.’s minister responsible for TransLink.
The minister added that as long as Translink doesn’t find a solution, it will be forced to leave a gate open.
The $170 million fare gates system was initially scheduled to be in place by 2010, but the transportation provider has suffered numerous setbacks over the past six years.