Big changes coming to transit

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Get ready for big changes on transit this week. Fare gates are being brought in while bus zones are on their way out.

The changes are all thanks to the Compass Card, which is getting a soft rollout across the transit region. Buses will also all be one-zone no matter how far you ride, but zones are still in place for SkyTrain and the SeaBus.

With SkyTrain’s still having higher fares the farther you ride, TransLink’s Jennifer Morland thinks there could be some commuters sticking to the streets to save money. “Nobody is going to be paying more as of October 5th than they do today. In fact some people will be paying less and so some people may decide to take the bus to cross the zone. Others may decide to stick to their other modes where they know they are going to save a little bit of time. It’s really giving customers a choice.”

Morland notes fare gates will be operating Monday morning, with one gate now being closed at each station to give commuters the chance to get used to swiping in and out. “We’ve got staff that are out on the system. We have already helped 50,000 customers answering questions and we continue to be out there and we know that it is a learning process.”

The almost $195 million smart card system has been plagued by problems, including issues with the speed and reliability of card readers.

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