Edmonton transit fare cards to be introduced

Riders won’t have to prepay for passes

EDMONTON A new way to pay and ride transit is coming to Edmonton.

“It operates like a credit or debit card,” Gary Googins, regional Smart Fare program manager, told a news conference Tuesday to highlight the details of the new fare system. “It’s like a reverse monthly pass.”

Ken Koropeski, Edmonton’s director of special projects, said the smart fare system will make travel across the Edmonton metropolitan region easier since one payment method can be used on all participating transit systems.

“The customer can use a transit fare card or pay by using a credit card or debit card,” Koropeski said.

People can manage their smart card accounts online and make fare payments through a single account, he said. It will be implemented in Edmonton, St. Albert and Strathcona County.

Riders no longer have to prepay for the entire cost for a monthly pass. Instead they can load smaller amounts into their accounts when funds are available.

“This is like having a monthly pass paid in instalments, which will benefit people with limited financial means,” he said.

Another feature, he said, is fare capping, where a maximum payment limit can be set for a defined period of time like a day, a week or a month, he said.

Passengers pay for each trip from their account up to the maximum amount for that time period. Once the maximum is reached, the remainder of the trips in that time period are free, which benefits frequent users, he said.

“The key difference between this and a monthly pass is that if a customer does not fully utilize the transit for any reason, they will only be charged for what they use up to the fare cap and not the entire monthly rate,” Koropeski said.

If a passenger doesn’t have an account in the smart fare system and pays for trips individually, the expenditure could exceed time caps similar to what happens now, he said. With smart fare, different caps can be set for seniors, youth or other categories depending on the needs of each municipality, he added.

And, he said, if a rider loses their transit fare card, they can replace it without losing the account credit or the fares they already purchased.

Specifics such as the minimum amount that can be put on the card and fares will be decided by the respective municipal councils, Koropeski said.

Pilot testing will begin in the fall of 2019, and the system is expected to be deployed by 2020.