TransLink marking 75 years of trolley buses with limited-edition Compass keychain

TransLink is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its trolley buses with another limited-edition Compass product, similar to those that have prompted long lines and resale price mark-ups in the past.

Mini-trolley Compass keychains will go on sale at 8 a.m. Wednesday at TransLink's Customer Service Centre at Waterfront Station.

A total of 5,000 of the keychains will be available for a $6 refundable deposit, the same as the cost of a regular Compass card.

There will be 4,000 adult-fare mini-trolleys and 1,000 concession-fare mini-trolleys available, according to the transit provider.

The keychains – which have headlights that light up when tapped – can be loaded with stored value or time-limited passes, just like a standard Compass card.

HISTORY OF COMPASS COLLECTIBLES

TransLink has leaned into collectible Compass card products in recent years, with offerings typically generating long line-ups of transit enthusiasts and resellers looking to turn a profit.

Last year, a similar collectible Compass product – this one shaped like a miniature SkyTrain car – sold out in just a few hours, with mini-trains hitting the secondary market almost immediately, at prices as high as $60 apiece. 

The phenomenon can be traced back to wearable Compass wristbands introduced in 2018. An initial run of 2,000 fare bracelets sold out in about three hours and soon started showing up on Craigslist. 

Mini cards on keychains followed in 2019, with roughly the same result. 

Most recently, TransLink partnered with Warner Bros. to offer Compass cards featuring The Flash, Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman as a tie-in for the release of the film "The Flash" in June. 

Unlike other collectible Compass products, the DC Comics fare cards were sold for more than the standard $6 deposit.

The $39.99 price tag for a bundle that included a superhero-adorned Compass card, a poster and a lanyard didn't stop hundreds of people from lining up to get their hands on one.

OTHER TROLLEY BUS COMMEMORATIONS

Vancouver's first trolley bus began operating on Aug. 16, 1948, according to TransLink.

In addition to its keychain release, the transit provider is marking the occasion with free rides on a preserved Brill trolley bus from the era.

TransLink will be offering free rides on a vintage trolley bus Wednesday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the first trolley bus trip in the City of Vancouver. (CTV)

The vintage bus will be picking up passengers on the south side of Cordova Street outside Waterfront Station from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Tours will begin every 20 minutes or so, with passengers admitted on a first-come, first-served basis.

More than 100,000 transit trips are taken on modern trolley buses every weekday, TransLink said, adding that because the buses run on overhead electrical wires rather than diesel, they avoid more than 18,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year.

“For 75 years, trolley buses have shaped the transit landscape of Metro Vancouver," said TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn in a news release Tuesday.

"Trolley buses have delivered zero-emissions transportation options for generations of Metro Vancouverites and are a key part of regional climate action.”