Too early to tell if the Compass Card is discouraging fare evaders
Posted January 20, 2016 12:00 pm.
Last Updated January 20, 2016 12:25 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – People have been using it for a few weeks now, but TransLink says it’s too early to know how effective the Compass Card is at discouraging fare evasion.
The transit authority does have numbers, however, on how many people are switching to the new system.
So far, 500,000 people have bought a Compass Card, half of which are used every day.
“We do have the capability to see and check fares with Compass Cards, but right now our focus really is on education,” says Morland. “We know this is a big change for our customers, and we want to make sure we’re supporting people along the way and giving them the information that they need to travel on the system,” explains Jennifer Morland with TransLink.
The next big shift happens at the end of the month as FareSavers will no longer be sold.
“If you have fare savers, then we’re suggesting that our customers use them up,” says Morland. “If you’re running low on your FareSavers, rather than going out and buying a new pack, which you still technically can, now’s a great time to switch to Compass. You can get stored value, which offers you the same great rate that fare savers [offered].”
You’ll still be able to use those paper passes after sales end until all gates are closed but it’s unclear when that’s happening.
Another big change is that you now have the ability to buy pre-loaded Compass cards at stores, previously you had to buy a card and load it at transit stations.
