As TransLink prepares to update the Compass Card system, the transit operator says it may scrap a requirement that passengers “tap out” their card at the end of a bus ride, which determines how many zones a rider would pay for any given trip.

The tap-off function has been one of the biggest factors delaying the $194-million Compass card program, which is already more than year behind schedule, said Nathan Woods, president of Unifor 111, the bus drivers’ union.

“I’m surmising from what I’ve heard that they will eliminate the tap-out component,” Woods said.

TransLink originally wanted the cards to be tapped at both the start and finish of a journey to calculate the distance of a trip and determine where services are most needed across Metro Vancouver.

But Woods said TransLink has been at odds with the Compass Card system provider, San Diego-based Cubic Transportation Systems, over the “tap out” requirement, which was seen as problematic for busy bus routes like the 99B-Line on Broadway and the No. 20 that see hundreds of boardings every hour. The SkyTrain isn’t an issue because passengers would automatically have to tap in and out of the fare gates at the stations they are entering and leaving.

TransLink spokeswoman Colleen Brennan said the transit authority is considering scrapping the tap-out function on buses on an “interim basis” only to allow passengers a grace period to adjust to the new system. She added no final decision has been made with Cubic, and TransLink is ultimately committed to having a full tap-in, tap-out system.

“The most important priority for us is to make sure our customers have a positive experience with Compass,” she said. “It’s possible we would on an interim basis allow a grace period in the tap out on buses.

“On buses we recognize it can be a difficult thing. It is one option that we could activate in order to make a smoother transition.”

TransLink acknowledged earlier this year that its field testing has shown the card readers are taking longer than anticipated to scan the Compass Cards, up to several seconds from the target of 0.3 seconds.

There are also problems with the tapping in and out of the cards on buses, with TransLink estimating an 8- to 10-per-cent error rate on the mobile validators.

In some cases, the bus validators will not register a tap out, which means some passengers would be charged a three-zone fare when they may have only travelled one zone. There are also concerns that transit users could tap out early and then stay on the bus, thus not paying for a whole trip.

The problems with the bus readers have led to several problems with the roll out of the Compass and fare gate program. Only 85,000 official Compass Cards have been issued so far, mainly to TransLink employees and those in the BC Bus Pass Program, which serves the disabled and low-income seniors. West Coast Express passengers were expected to be next on the list to receive passes but it’s not known when that will happen.

Brennan said an update is expected today or Thursday but wouldn’t release any further details. TransLink eventually expects to issue 800,000 cards that will allow riders to load monthly passes, single fares or a prepaid balance that will be detected as they pass through the fare gates that are being installed across the SkyTrain system.

Woods said he would support a move to scrap the tap-off component, saying it could be cumbersome and costly for transit passengers especially if they fail to tap out. He also worries that if TransLink was able to pinpoint traffic patterns, it would lead to more service “optimization,” in which the transit authority cuts bus service in one city to move it to another where demand is higher.

TransLink, which has no money to expand services, has been criticized by residents in areas like South Surrey and Port Coquitlam for cutting their bus hours to provide more services to cities like Vancouver.

But Woods noted that eliminating the tap out could also have negative impacts, such as forcing TransLink to create a single fare zone, which would mean higher rates for some transit passengers, because TransLink would have no way of knowing when a trip begins and ends.

Brennan concedes TransLink would have to look at a more simplified structure if it was to do eliminate the tap out on buses.

The system, including the fare gates, had been ordered by the Liberal government in a bid to reduce fare evasion on the SkyTrain lines, but has also been touted by TransLink as a way to get near real-time data to improve service delivery and long-term transit planning. Those caught riding without a valid ticket face a $173 fine, which TransLink can enforce by preventing drivers with unpaid tickets from renewing their driver’s licences or vehicle registration with ICBC.

NDP transportation critic George Heyman said the entire program is going to cost more in the long run, noting that TransLink will have to pay Cubic $12 million a year to operate the system, while only saving $5 million to $7 million a year in fare evasion.

“A lot of money has gone into the fare gates and Compass Card system,” he said. “This thing has been a mess from day one. It appears to be a waste of money.”

ksinoski@vancouversun.com

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