TransLink unveiled $9 million in new technology Tuesday aimed at making it easier for customers with disabilities to access SkyTrain stations.
The Universal Fare Access Program will allow passengers to enter stations without having to tap their Compass Cards. Participants will be given radio-frequency identification (RFID) cards that will automatically open the gates once the card is in range.
“It is extremely important that our customers have access to our transit system and are free to travel independently around the region,” TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond said in a statement.
The program was funded through the $740 million Public Transit Infrastructure Fund. Half the fund is provided by the federal government and the rest is split between the province (33 per cent) and TransLink (17 per cent).
TransLink says it will be the first transit authority in the world to implement a fully-automated, touchless access method to a gated transit system.
Those who advocate for people with disabilities are commending the transit company, saying the program sets “an example for public transit systems everywhere.
“TransLink has lived up to the commitment it made to us to develop a solution for people unable to tap in and out independently at Compass Card fare gates. The Universal Fare Gate Access Program is the result of collaboration between TransLink and the community,” Jane Dyson, executive director of Disability Alliance BC.
So far, over 40 per cent of SkyTrain stations have been outfitted with the TransLink-designed technology. TransLink says the goal is to have it implemented at all SkyTrain and SeaBus stations by the end of the year.
