TransLink’s rollout of its new Compass Card fare system has been delayed until at least the fall.
The regional transit authority says its contractor needs more time to resolve technical issues in the $194 million system. TransLink didn’t give a timetable for full implementation of the system, saying only that it would provide another update in October.
“We need to make sure that we get this right so we can deliver a modern, high-functioning system that consistently works well for our customers,” said TransLink chief operating officer Doug Kelsey in a release.
The Compass Card system is intended to provide user-friendly, cashless access to transit in Metro Vancouver. Users tap their cards when entering and exiting buses and SkyTrains to have their accounts automatically debited.
The full launch of the Compass system was originally scheduled for mid-2013. It has been postponed several times, and last year TransLink officials announced that the cost of the system would be $23 million higher than initially expected.
Compass Card manufacturer Cubic Corporation has been criticized for a variety of problems with systems it runs in other cities, including overbilling riders and over- or under-sensitive card readers. In Tuesday’s release, Kelsey said the additional time for implementing the Compass system would help the rollout happen more smoothly.
“We have looked closely at the experiences of other jurisdictions, and we’re confident that we’re doing the right thing by getting these technical issues worked out before we fully offer this new service to all of our customers,” he said.
