TransLink accessible gate ‘enhances my independence’
For the two years he’s lived in Vancouver, Omar Al-azawi has been an avid transit user.
As a student at the B.C. Institute of Technology and Emily Carr University, the 25-year-old takes SkyTrain to get to class from his East Vancouver home, and uses buses, SeaBus and HandyDart to get to and from appointments and commitments.
“It’s a lifestyle, it’s not just transportation,” Al-azawi said.
Al-azawi has found transit easy to use, with one exception: He has quadriplegia and can’t move his arms, which makes it impossible for him to use a Compass Card to tap in and out of fare gates. Instead, he has to call an attendant for help.
“I want to be more independent. I don’t want to just keep calling them to just simply tap for me,” Al-azawi said.
Getting through the fare gates unassisted will no longer be an issue for Al-azawi, now that TransLink has launched its Universal Fare Gate Access Program.
The program involves installing long-range Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensors above the accessible fare gates at SkyTrain and SeaBus stations, so the gates will swing open for people who have limited or no use of their arms.
“It’s seamless for our customers and it enables independence on our transit system,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond.
TransLink designed the system and Vancouver’s Hyperlight Systems finalized the design and implemented the technology.
“This is the first of its kind in the world,” said Desmond.
TransLink began testing the technology last June, and RFID readers have been installed at 23 stations on the Expo and Millennium lines. It’s expected all SkyTrain and SeaBus stations will be outfitted with RFID readers by the end of 2018.
“It definitely enhances my independence,” Al-azawi said Tuesday.
In December, TransLink’s board of directors voted to authorize the transit authority to give free RFID cards to eligible customers.
The free cards will allow people to use the new technology while TransLink finishes installing the sensors, and refines how the service is delivered and fares are charged. It will also allow TransLink to determine how many customers will require RFID cards.
Eligible customers can apply for the program at translink.ca/opengates. Applicants will meet with an occupational therapist to determine if an RFID device is right for them.
The program cost is $9 million, with half paid for by the federal government, 33 per cent coming from the province and the rest from TransLink.