9 Aug

Vancouver Bus Riders Rejoice: All Fares to be Just $2.75

Photo credit: ArielKettle | Wikipedia

Vancouver bus riders are about to get a little break, courtesy of some newfangled technology that just never worked right.

Starting on Oct. 5, all TransLink bus riders will be charged a single rate of $2.75, regardless of how far they travel. Currently, that’s the rate for single-zone riders, while passengers who cross zones have to pony up $4 or $5.50 for two- or three-zone fares.

The rate change corresponds to the official roll-out of the Compass Card payment system to all transit users this October. Under the new system, passengers use a card to “tap in” and “tap out” of buses, SkyTrains and SeaBuses. The cards are loaded with value in advance and the appropriate fare is deducted automatically.

Photo sourced from translink.ca

At least that’s how it’s supposed to work. Over the past several years, TransLink has spent $194 million in an attempt to get the system operational. Much of that effort has focused on figuring out a Compass Card system for buses. Extended field tests showed major problems with bus riders tapping out.

In some cases, card readers would delay several seconds before acknowledging a “tap out” – a serious issues on crowded buses where dozens of people are trying to get off at once. This was compounded by an overall 8- to 10-percent error rate on the readers. Meanwhile, savvy bus riders quickly figured out that they could “tap out” while still on the bus – avoiding multi-zone fares, according to an article in the Vancouver Sun.

As a result of all these problems, TransLink has decided to scrap the multi-zone bus fare system altogether. Come October, riders can use Compass Cards on buses, but they will only be required to “tap in” and will only pay for one zone no matter how far they go. This price break also applies to HandyDart buses. Multi-zone fares will remain in effect, however, on the SkyTrain and SeaBus. Additionally, the amount of time to transfer remains 90 minutes.

TransLink is expected to roll out Compass vending machines at SkyTrain stations and SeaBus terminals beginning this month. At first only single-use tickets will be dispensed from the machines (which kind of seems to defeat the purpose of a rechargeable card). By late October, however, the machines are expected to be carrying actual Compass Cards. By November, Compass cards will also be available in retail stores.