COMPASS-CARD WOES:
TRANSLINK EXPLORES DROPPING FARE ZONES ON BUSES
TransLink is considering solving its Compass card conundrum by dropping the zone system on buses.
But the Metro Vancouver transportation authority wasn’t very forthcoming on details Wednesday.
“I can confirm that we are currently exploring a one-zone fare option on buses,” said a spokesman for TransLink in an email. “I don’t have any more detail for you but will advise when we are ready to provide a public update.”
While the long-delayed Compass card is apparently ready to go with faregates on SkyTrain, full implementation of the nearly $200-million system is stalled because of problems on the bus system.
Scanners are supposed to ‘read’ the Compass card on buses, with riders ‘tapping on’ and ‘tapping off’ when they get on or off buses.
But those scanners are not reliably reading the card when riders ‘tap off’ and leave the vehicle, which is how a one-, two- or three-zone fare is determined.
If the card hasn’t been read, the rider is automatically charged a three-zone fare — even if they’ve only made a short one-zone trip.
Charging all bus riders the same would eliminate the need to ‘tap off.’
But it would introduce a whole new set of problems according to Gordon Price, a former six-time councillor in the City of Vancouver who used to sit on the TransLink board when it was run by politicians and met in public.
“Most people travel in one zone, except for SkyTrain,” said Price, who is now the director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University.
A new, single fare would presumably fall somewhere between the $2.75 regular cash fare for one zone and $5.50 for a three-zone trip.
“If you’re going to have one zone for the buses, that means you’re going to raise all the fares for people that travel in one zone so you can be subsidizing the people who are travelling farther and should be paying more because they are travelling farther,” said Price.
When Compass does begin working properly, it is supposed to have the ability to charge people for the actual distance they travel — which Price considered fair.
Current Vancouver councillor Geoff Meggs spoke to TransLink about the one fare for buses and doesn’t think it’s something that’s “a real possibility.”
“I’m in favour of anything that makes it easier and cheaper for people to ride the bus,” said Meggs.
“I think if the tap-off is proving an obstacle to that then we should look at options — that don’t include a fare increase.
“There can’t be a fare increase, even for a single zone, without coming back to the Mayors Council (on Transit and Transportation) and I can’t imagine too many mayors being keen to go through some sort of process for a fare increase,” he said.