All fare gates at all skytrain stations across the Lower Mainland will be closed starting on April 4, 2016. By April 8, all fare gates including SeaBus will be fully closed.

During the week of April 4, Translink will have staff at fare gates at all SkyTrain and SeaBus stations to assist customers with the transition. When staff cannot be at stations, one accessible fare gate will remain open so customers can continue to travel independently.

1. You can only ride the SkyTrain/Seabus with a Compass Card or a Compass Ticket starting from April 4th, 2016.

*All hard plastic Compass cards has a $6 refundable deposit. You can get your deposit back by returning your card to the Compass Customer Service Centre at Stadium-China Station or the Express Office at Waterfront Station*

Adult Compass Card

A permanent hard plastic card that can be loaded with monthly pass, day pass or stored value for pay-as-you-go trips.

Concession Card – NOT AVAILABLE AT COMPASS VENDING MACHINES

A permanent hard plastic card with discounted fares for children 5-13 years old, secondary students 14-19 years old with a valid GoCard and seniors 65+

Compass Tickets

A single-use paper ticket for that can be loaded with a single-ride or a one day pass. Recommended for occasional adult or concession riders / visitors. Paid value can be re-used within 90 minutes. The 90 minutes starts once you tap in. Unused Compass Tickets will expire at the end of the day. Compass Tickets are not reloadable and can only carry 1 product at a time.

2. Register your Compass Card to protect your balance.

Register your Compass Card at www.compasscard.ca

– Protect your balance. Lost or Stolen Compass cards will be frozen and the balance can be transferred to a new Compass Card or refunded by cheque.

– Store your payment info and have the option to automatically reload balances / passes

– Access transaction history online for receipts to claim Transit Tax Credit

Pro tip: Register up to 25 Compass Cards to a single account to manage your children’s Compass Cards and keep track of the whole family with 1 account.

3. Can I still use FareSavers?

FareSavers are only valid on buses after April 4th.

Starting on April 4th, you MUST transfer your FareSavers value to a Compass Card to take the Skytrain or Seabus. You can transfer FareSavers as stored value to a Compass Card at the Compass Customer Service Centre at Stadium-Chinatown SkyTrain station.

You cannot transfer FareSavers to a Compass card online. Make sure you have a Compass Card ready before April 4th.

4. Can I still use my U-Pass BC to cross the fare gates?

If you are enrolled in a post-secondary program in BC and you have a current and valid U-Pass, you have to link your Compass Card to your U-Pass BC web account here and load a new monthly U-Pass to your Compass Card every month.

IMPORTANT: Adult Compass Cards loaded with a U-Pass BC are non-transferrable and cannot be shared.

5. Remember to Tap-Out on SkyTrain, SeaBus and West Coast Express.

There is no need to tap out on buses because all bus trips only require a one-zone fare.

If you forget to tap out before you leave a SkyTrain station, you will be charged the maximum fare. What that means is that if you have a 1 or 2-zone only monthly pass, you will be charged 3-zones if you forget to tap out.

The next time you tap in, you will receive an error message. To clear that error message you have to visit a Compass Card Vending machine and load it with some stored value to pay for that extra zone (that you got charged because you forgot to tap out) before you can tap in again.

As a pre-caution it’s always a good idea to have some stored-value in your Compass Card even if you have a monthly pass in case you need to travel more than 1 or 2 zones or if you forget to tap out.

BONUS TIPS:

– Once you tap in, you have 20 minutes to shop at that station or change your mind. You will not be charged if you tap-out within 20 minutes.

– Monthly passes can only be reloaded at Compass Card Vending Machines OUTSIDE the fare gates

– Stored Value NEVER expires

– Compass Cards allow a 1-time negative balance which lets you to finish a trip if you run out of stored value. Just top-up your stored value to use your card again

– Bulk tickets for group travel for 15 people or more can be purchased from Translink’s FareDealer Office



For more information, visit TransLink Fare Prices, Fare Zone Map, Where to Buy , Compass Card Website or AskCompass.ca