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In a blast from the past for longtime transit users, TransLink is bringing back paper transfers on community shuttles.

The transit authority has decided to remove the electronic fareboxes — which dispense tickets that have a magnetic stripe — from the Coast Mountain and contracted shuttle buses to refurbish and then install them on new conventional buses.

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They are being replaced with mechanical fare boxes that don’t count cash or dispense tickets, and paper transfers. Community shuttle operators will use a special cutter to tear the paper at a spot on the ticket that indicates when the transfer window ends.

“They will function exactly the same — they are proof of purchase. They will be given out every time somebody comes onto a community shuttle that pays cash,” Michael McDaniel, president and general manager of Coast Mountain Bus Company, said at a recent board of directors meeting.

Compass users will not be affected by the switch, only those who pay using cash or FareSavers. The transfers will still be valid for 90 minutes, and can be used to transfer to another shuttle or bus, not SkyTrain.