TransLink’s move to a single-zone fare system for buses launches Monday, as the organization continues rolling out the troubled and long-overdue Compass Card program.
Bus and HandyDART riders will now only pay for one zone no matter how far they travel. People using Compass Cards or Compass Tickets still have to tap-in on the bus, but will no longer have to tap-out when leaving.
SkyTrain, West Coast Express and SeaBus users will still be charged for the number of zones they travel weekdays before 6:30 p.m, and Compass customers still need to tap both in and out.
TransLink CFO and acting CEO Cathy McLay announced in August that the system is temporary but will remain in place until further notice, and that one-zone fares will stay at the current cost of $2.75 – at least for the time being.
Compass Cards are designed for users to tap-in as they enter transit and tap-out as they exit, but the program has been delayed for years because of technical issues with the electronic readers.
TransLink said the technology can now read cards at four-tenths of a second, but that the first Compass users – largely post-secondary students and West Coast Express riders – have still experienced trouble tapping off.
The announcement of single-zone fares will mean Compass users on buses won’t need to worry about tapping out to ensure they don’t get charged for a longer trip than they actually took.
McLay denied the move to a single zone is an admission the Compass tap-out doesn’t work.
“We’ve listened to our customers,” she said in August. “We’re adjusting the zone to help us with the transition.”
For more informaton visit: http://www.translink.ca/en/Fares-and-Passes/One-Zone-Bus-Travel.aspx
