It’s business as usual until Compass arrives
It’s business as usual until Compass arrives
In case there’s any confusion about how to pay for transit between now and the day when Compass is in full swing, we’d like to clear the air. For now, it’s business as usual.
Now
If you already have a Compass Card, please keep tapping in and out when you use transit. For those who don’t have a Compass Card, you can keep using FareSavers, Monthly Pass, or cash to travel.
Once we begin introducing Compass Cards to the general public, we’ll begin phasing out current forms of fare media, like FareSaver tickets, for example. But for now, you can keep buying FareSavers or whatever fare media you normally use.
During transition
Don’t worry, once we begin the transition to Compass, we’ll give you lots of time to use up your FareSaver tickets or convert their cash value to Stored Value on your new Compass Card. During the transition period, you’ll be able to use your FareSaver tickets for a limited time and we’ll broadly communicate the timing of FareSaver discontinuation, so that you can get ready.
Future
Once we phase out FareSavers, you’ll still be able to get a discount on regular fares with the Stored Value option on Compass Cards. Adding Stored Value is just like adding cash to your card, but when paying with Stored Value, you get a discount over standard cash fares, so it’s perfect for single-use trips and paying AddFares. You can also take advantage of AutoLoad and Balance Protection when you register your Compass Card.
For more information, visit our Compass pages or askcompass.ca.
The very device you picture above – it looks like it can take FareSavers and near-field communication (ie, RFID passes). Wouldn’t that mean it could accept both Compass Cards and bus tickets?
Why aren’t these being installed in SkyTrain stations to ensure that people who buy bus transfers can still access SkyTrain? They’re everywhere in the Canada Line, but apparently we’d need to spend $10m to make the system interoperable?
Kevin: possibly because the pictured machine simply validates Faresavers, and that function is not connected to opening the SkyTrain gates. Refitting that functionality would probably cost just as much as getting completely new machines with the function integrated.
Any news on being able to store both a day-pass and “regular” stored value on the same card? (without the system using your day pass if you only take one trip that day).
@TimmyC62,thanks for your comment. You are right, the pictured machine is a FareSaver Validator. It’s not compatible with Compass fare media.
@AJ,we understand your frustration and have acknowledged your comment on http://buzzer.translink.ca/2014/03/compass-fare-product-priority/
Unfortunately, the fare structure has not changed and there is still a fare product priority, meaning Compass system will use your Day Pass before Stored Value if you don’t have any other products higher in priority on your Compass Card. But this is exactly why the Compass system will be very helpful in providing TransLink the data it needs to make more customer-focused and informed decisions about potential future features of Compass, such as a different fare structure, as you’ve suggested in the past. As always, thanks for your continued support and interest in the Compass project.
Simple solution to AJ’s question: compass should be set up to charge single fares for each trip, but then stop charging once you reach the price of a day pass. Simple. Used by countless other Cubic systems like Oyster card, etc.
The problem with Translink’s idea is that they should try to match people’s expectations of technology, and not expectations of current fare media. Most people have no problems carrying several books of fare savers plus a day pass, yet this new system will require us to carry more than 1 card.
This will be user unfriendly, because it has no way knowing whether or not you want a day pass, a month pass, or a single trip.