Travelling in your own city is about to change as new technology is introduced at all pay stations. According to Translink, the use of new Compass Cards will improve the efficiency of boarding and leaving buses and Skytrain cars. These cards will replace most of the tickets and existing u-passes issued by most major universities.
Benefits
There is convenience in having one card that allows users to put money directly on the card instead of purchasing one-, two- or three-zone tickets individually, which takes up a lot of time and paper. This is claimed as an en vironmentally efficient method.
Also, this card will keep your identity safe. By this Translink means, “Although Compass Cards and tickets are electronic, no personal customer information – such as name, credit card or banking identity – is stored on the electronic chip. The chip only identifies the product or value stored on the card.” This new system will also create savings which will improve the overall service for system improvements.
One new technology includes the new transportation app called Live Translink Vancouver available for Android and at the App store which shows where each bus is at a given time. This app allows travellers to plan accordingly as maps are updated every few seconds.
Problems/Concerns
The new Compass Cards force users to tap in and out when they board the bus and when they arrive at their destination. The problem is that users may forget to tap out as they leave out. If they don’t, the user will be charged the full day’s amount. Translink does not have any solution to this problem at the moment.
According to Global, “Way to cheat Translink’s compass card system discovered.” You can be pay fora one-fare zone at a bus and travel three zones without anyone knowing. The purpose of this system was designed to restrict travellers from avoiding fares and causing Translink to lose millions of dollars annually. But, the problem still remains the same.
Student’s Perspective
According to Translink, many universities will implement Compass Cards in early 2014. But some students have different and opposing opinions to the new system.
Ricky from Kwantlen Polytechnic says, “That’s too bad! I can’t sell my U-pass anymore.”
But most students had questions rather than opinions about the new cards. Translink directs all users to the FAQs page or to call the hotline if their question is still unanswered.
Marissa Mallari
I think that this whole idea is great. Using public transportation similar to this in LA, I found it quite efficient, especally when I was in a rush. It is a lot quicker, but I do think that when in a rush, a lot of people would forget to tap out, costing them a lot more money than they should be paying. I think that this could become a huge problem, especially because a lot of people that use the bus are on a limited budget. Personally, I think that translink should sort out the little issues before implementing the whole system to avoid complaints that are sure to arise quickly.