It’s Compass Card Beta Testing time! Check out what else we’ve written on the Compass Card and faregates.

We now have about 7,300 Compass Beta test cards in use and 114,000 taps to date! I travelled the system a fair amount yesterday and probably tapped about 16 times along the way myself!

One of the stops I made yesterday was in Richmond for a special assignment with some of the Compass engineers. They’re prepping for small group testing next week and they used me as a guinea pig for their dry runs. I got to try out the Compass Vending machines to purchase cards and tickets, add Stored Value, view my transactions and check my balance. The engineers intentionally gave me practically no instructions to see how I’d do, and I’m happy to say I breezed right through it. The screens are really intuitive, available in several languages and have accessible options. I think you’re going to like them.

There are a limited number of spots for each of these tests next week, so we’ll only be able to invite a few people Beta Testers. But be sure to watch your email to see if you’ve been selected to help us out. And if you’re a tester and haven’t yet received any emails from us, please check your junk mail just in case.

Tester tip: Keep your Compass Card handy, so you’re ready to tap in and tap out as you enter and exit, without having to fumble around and dig deep into your backpack looking for it.

Did you know? If you register your Compass Card, you’ll be able to take advantage of Balance Protection. That means if you lose your card, we’ve got you covered.

Be sure to follow along with #compassbetatest and, if you’re a tester, record your feedback at compassbetatest.com