Day #18 of Compass Beta testing
Day #18 of Compass Beta testing
Whoa! We’ve reached over half a million taps! Way to go, Beta testers.
There are only a few days left to go, so please keep on tapping!
What’s going to happen in the next few days?
The last day of the Beta Test is Tuesday, October 1. If you have a Monthly Pass on your test card, you’ve probably noticed that it says it expires on September 30. In this case, any Stored Value you have remaining on your card will be used on October 1 instead. Let us know if you notice anything different when you tap in or tap out over the next few days and what you think. Be sure to keep logging your feedback on the Compass Beta test website.
However, for some of you, we’ve programmed your card to AutoLoad another pass so we can observe new passes being applied. You’ll have to tap on October 1 to find out what’s on your card!
Near the end of October, everyone’s test card will be deactivated as we “reset” the system in preparation for the start of transition. Hold onto your card as a keepsake that you were one of the first to use Vancouver’s new transit system.
While being a Compass beta tester, I tried placing my compass card in different items and I was wondering why the compass readers are able to read the compass through certain objects but not others? I’ve tried placing the card in a plastic monthly pass holder and different cell phone cases. I discovered that the card readers can read the card through the plastic holder and certain cell phone cases. However, why can’t it read through all cell phone cases?
@Ric
Compass cards carry a chip + antenna inside the card which communicates with the readers over radio frequencies (this is called RFID). RFID is a form of electromagnetic radiation, like light and microwaves.
When you consider light, you note that some objects let light through and others block it completely. This is the same with radio frequencies, different materials let different amounts of radio waves through.
Additionally, modern NFC enabled smartphones may also be transmitting at the same frequency as the card and confuse the reader (it shouldn’t, but it’s possible).
of course any negative comments will never show up here.