Skytrain stations in B.C.'s Lower Mainland will soon be outfitted with turnstiles, and users will have to adopt a Smart Card system, says the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (Translink). [/p]The decision to end the infamous honors system was confirmed by B.C. Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon at a press conference in Vancouver, Wednesday. Falcon says the turnstiles and Smart Cards will begin to be implemented by 2010, a move that he hopes will boost ridership on the system by making people feel more secure about taking the Skytrain. [/p]"The only way you're going to make it successful is if people feel like they're safe. That's certainly the lesson in London and Amsterdam," Falcon said. "They've seen an immediate reduction in criminal activities in their systems with the implementation of turnstiles and Smart Cards." [/p]The Smart Card will work like a regular debit card, requiring passengers to prepa, load the card and then swipe it before and after they get off the train. To obtain a card, Skytrain passengers will have to provide personal information. [/p]Falcon says the cards, in conjunction with the turnstiles, should cut down on fare evaders, and is expected to increase Translink revenues by more than 20 per cent. The cards will also give transit officials a better picture of who's causing trouble on platforms. This is because officials will have a detailed list of who is riding that particular line at the time.
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Indeed. My parents were in disbelief when I explained Skytrain in general. lol
Hmmm... I wonder what will happen to those coming from the bus with their tickets. Will the bus be adopting the prepay cards too? What about Employer Transit cards? I guess they'll have some sort of bar scan?
I'll just climb over the railings/bars like I did in the UK. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Teasing/4.gif)
About time. They should implement this at the bus stop as well. Too many ppl hitching a 'free' ride with the bus. It's disgusting.
Michel wrote:
It they loss 20 % revenue, that means we have paid 20 % too much all the time. Maybe we should sue the managers and ruin Translink by asking our money back for all those years of robbery(//forums/richedit/smileys/7.gif)
Have no fear Gregor Roberston is going to save us!
"A few weeks ago, I was invited by the Robertson camp to come and watch the candidate watch some of the Democratic presidential primaries, where Barack Obama was expected to -- and did -- trounce Hillary Clinton. At the time, she was immersed in all those backroom numbers games, trying to plump up her delegate count.[/p]That night, Robertson's image makers no doubt had the idea of casting the man from Happy Planet as our Obama. But these days, Robertson's looking a lot more like our Hillary."[/p][a href="vny!://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=dedf49ec-55c8-4b2a-a6b9-db9bbc150a75&p=2"]-van sun[/a][/p]lol. I watched the debate between the three, Robertson is very um Campbellish in terms of personality.
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Anything that increases ridership and makes paying more convenient is great...
Anyone know anything about this 3rd Seabus? I heard they were going to put it into service, and retrofit the old Otter and Beaver and then have all 3 boats running simultaneously by 2010?
So that would mean building a 3rd Seabus dock at both N and S ends of Burrard Inlet?
Yes. That's what I read too. 2010.
I would like to throw SD off the deck of the 3rd seabus. (//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/7.gif) Maybe the German dolphins will save him. *kidding*
Oh the Horror!