Compass Card (TransLink)

Compass Card

Location	Lower Mainland region
Launched	September 2013 (beta)[1] August 2015 (public)
Technology	Contactless smart card
Operator	Cubic Transportation Systems[2]
Manager	TransLink
Currency	CAD ($5 minimum through CVM purchase, $10 minimum online purchase, $175 maximum load)
Stored-value	Pay as you go
Auto recharge	AutoLoad (registration required)
Validity	Buses SeaBus SkyTrain West Coast Express
Retailed	Online Compass Vending Machines (at all stations) London Drugs Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal (CVM) Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal (CVM)
Variants	See list
Website	compasscard.ca

Compass Card is an electronic payment system primarily used for public transit in Metro Vancouver operated by TransLink.

Riders pre-purchase a Compass card and fare value online, by phone, or at vending machines located at SeaBus terminals, SkyTrain and West Coast Express stations. Vending machines will also be available at 18 participating London Drugs retail store locations.^[3]

Compass deployment was originally planned for spring 2013, but had been delayed until August 2015.^[4] Full deployment for the general public took place on November 2, 2015.^[5]

System usage

A Compass Card reader located at Metrotown Station

A Compass fare gates located at Lougheed Town Centre Station

A Compass ticket vending machine located at Metrotown Station

Currently in the process of rolling out to the general public, users will start by obtaining a Compass card from one of the vending machines located at SkyTrain, SeaBus, or West Coast Express terminals/stations, then add value to the card online, by phone, or directly at the vending machines. Compass Cards will also be available for purchase wherever previous forms of transit fare media were available for purchase. Once users have obtained a Compass card with an adequate pass or an amount of stored value, they tap in to enter a bus or transit station and tap out as they leave (except for busses). Tapping involves lightly touching the Compass card flat against a card reader.

Depending on the type of transit mode and vehicle the tap process differs slightly:

• Bus: riders tap card readers located at each bus door. Users are not required to tap out on a bus.
• SkyTrain and SeaBus: riders tap fare gates located at each entry and exit point of the station.
• West Coast Express: riders tap a free-standing validation machine located at each entry and exit point of the station.

When a rider starts their trip by tapping in, the system will automatically reserves enough fare for three zones. Tapping out at the end of a trip will ensure that riders are only charged the fare for the distance (in zones) travelled. Failing to tap out at the end of the trip may result in a rider being charged a full 3-zone fare even if only traveling one or two zones.

As riders transfer between transit modes or vehicles, such as when exiting a bus and entering a SkyTrain station, they must tap out and then tap back in. The system will automatically track transfers, ensuring riders are only charged once provided they are within the 90 minute transfer period (180 minutes for West Coast Express) and within the same transit zone.

Fares

Transit riders will have the option of paying for fares by Compass card or cash, but the Compass card offers lower fares. Riders who make cash payments at Compass vending machines receive an electronic ticket which are good for transfers within the 90 minute transfer period (180 minutes for West Coast Express). However, riders who make cash payments on a bus will receive a paper ticket that only allows transfers between buses.

Users will initially purchase a Compass cards for a $6 (refundable) deposit, then load it with stored value. The $6 deposit can be used temporarily if a rider forgets to maintain enough stored value, but the card must be replenished to a positive balance before the next trip or they will not be able to tap in.

There are 6 varieties of cards:^[6]

• Light Blue — Adult
• Orange — Concession (children and seniors)
• White — CNIB
• Yellow — Contractors
• Dark Blue — Translink Employees
• Magenta Red — Personalized Program Passes such as:
  • B.C Bus Pass Program clients (low income seniors and individuals receiving disability assistance from the Province of British Columbia)
  • Access Transit/Handy Card^[7]

Single

The following tables illustrates single trip fares during peak and off peak hours for bus, SeaBus and SkyTrain riders.^[8]

Users must maintain a minimum of $0.01 value on the card to tap into buses, SkyTrain, or SeaBus, and a minimum of $4.50 to tap into West Coast Express.

Monthly passes

One-, two-, or three-zone monthly passes are planned to be loaded directly onto the Compass Card, with the option to automatically renew every month. Users who register online benefit from the auto renewal and balance protection, which protects the stored value in the event of card loss or theft.

Issues and controversies

2-year-old Compass Card fare machine with both not-yet-in-service sticker and out-of-order sticker, which has not yet become usable.

Barrier-free system

BC Transit, and later, TransLink, took the position that the barrier-free proof of payment system was more effective than having fare gates or turnstiles. In the early 2000s they estimated a five percent fare evasion rate, or approximately two million dollars or less per year. Fare checks and fines issued inside 'fare paid zones' kept the rates at that level. Since the staff conducting the checks - SkyTrain Attendants and Transit Police - would still be required even with physical fare barriers, the cost of installing and maintaining a barrier fare system would be much more costly.^[9]

Provincial government decision

Late in 2007, the provincial Minister of Transportation, Kevin Falcon, announced interest in the installation of an access-controlled fare system.^[10]

In March 2008, Ken Dobell, a lobbyist for Cubic Corporation, started talks with Minister Kevin Falcon with the intention of selling technology to TransLink. Dobell, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell's former deputy minister, had just been found guilty of breaching the Lobbyists Registration Act.^[11]

Then, in April 2009, leading up to the provincial election campaign, the Office of the Premier, Government of Canada, and TransLink announced the implementation of fare gates and smart cards.^[12]

Time frame and costs

TransLink confirmed in October 2013 that the cost overrun for the Compass Card system would reach $23 million due to delay related inflation and unanticipated scope creep. The Compass Card system was originally budgeted at $171 million, but has since risen to $194 million.^[13]

By tapping out within the first zone of travel and remaining on the vehicle, a multizone trip could be completed for a single zone fare. This fault was not publicly acknowledged by the administration until system testing in September 2013.^[14] Regardless of the loophole, Transit Police or Designated Coast Mountain Bus Company Security may issue a fine if they catch riders without adequate fare in a Fare Paid Zone.

Full implementation of the SkyTrain fare gates continues to be delayed by ongoing problems with the Compass Card when riders are tapping out as they exit transit buses. The tapping out process on buses has been reported to be slow, and can fail to record the tap, which may result in the customer being charged for travelling through three zones when in fact they only traveled through one or two zones.^[15] This has been a serious setback for Translink as the entire system was originally supposed to be operational by 2013.

TransLink estimates that 80,000 users were using the system by the end of January 2014.^[16] Translink changed their Compass Timeline website in late 2014 to remove statements promising a full Compass roll-out in late 2014. The new page says only that post-secondary students will receive cards in the summer of 2015, replacing the U-Pass BC, with full deployment some time later.^[17] As of August 2015, Compass Cards are planned to become available from vending machines and retail locations by November 2015.^[18]

Availability and Functionality

In late October 2015 cards became available from Compass Vending Machines at London Drugs stores.^[19] A card can also be purchased at the customer service counter within any of these stores. The current stored value for a card is available by submitting the "Compass No" at https://www.compasscard.ca/. These pages are not adapted to mobile device access and are not linked in http://m.translink.ca/. For the user, the Compass number is not machine readable and must be submitted manually. If the user logs in, a history of usage can be viewed. As of late November 2015 stored values are displayed as $0.00 regardless of usage and actual stored value.

References

External links

• Official Compass Card Website