Compass card (British Columbia)

Orange Compass cards are used to pay concession fares.

Compass vending machines (CVM) located at King George station

Compass fare gates on the platform level at New Westminster station

Compass card reader located on Spruce Street at Sapperton station

Users start by obtaining a Compass card from one of the vending machines located at SkyTrain, SeaBus, or West Coast Express stations, then add value to the card online, by phone, or directly at the vending machines. In late October 2015, cards became available from Compass vending machines at London Drugs stores.[10] A card can be purchased at the customer service counter in any of these stores. Compass cards are also available for purchase wherever previous forms of transit fare media were available.

The current stored value for a card is available by submitting the Compass card number at the Compass website. These pages are not adapted to mobile device access and are not linked from the TransLink website. The Compass card number is not machine readable and must be submitted manually. If the user logs in, a history of usage and stored value can be viewed.

Once users obtain a Compass card with an adequate pass or an amount of stored value, they can tap in to enter a bus or transit station and tap out as they leave (except for buses). Tapping involves lightly touching the Compass card flat against a card reader.

Depending on the type of transit mode and vehicle the tap process differs slightly:

• Bus: riders tap card readers located at each bus door. Users are not required to tap out on a bus.
• SkyTrain and SeaBus: riders tap fare gates located at each entry and exit point of the station.
• West Coast Express: riders tap a free-standing validation machine located at each entry and exit point of the station.

When a rider starts their trip by tapping in at SkyTrain or SeaBus, the system will automatically reserve enough fare for three zones. Tapping out at the end of a trip will ensure that riders are only charged the fare for the distance (in zones) travelled. Failing to tap out at the end of the trip may result in a rider being charged a full three-zone fare even if only travelling one or two zones. If the trip is started from a bus, the system will only deduct fare for one-zone.

As riders transfer between transit modes or vehicles, such as when exiting a bus and entering a SkyTrain station, they must tap out and then tap back in. The system will automatically track transfers, ensuring riders are only charged once provided they are within the 90-minute transfer period (180 minutes for West Coast Express) and within the same transit zone.

TransLink estimated that 80,000 users were using the system by the end of January 2014.[11] As of June 2016, Compass cards had been tapped on the system more than 371 million times, at a rate of more than 1.5 million every weekday. TransLink recorded a ridership increase of 1.8 percent and 3.2 percent in increased fare revenues in 2015, according to its 2015 annual report.[8]

Transit riders will have the option of paying for fares by Compass card or cash, but the Compass card offers lower fares. A rider who makes a cash payment at a Compass vending machine receives a paper-based Compass Ticket which is good for transfers within the 90-minute transfer period (180 minutes for West Coast Express).

Nearly half of TransLink's revenues come from fares. TransLink uses a three-zone fare system in the region for SkyTrain, Canada Line, West Coast Express and SeaBus service, with single adult fares ranging from $2.85 to $5.60 on weekdays.[12] All fares on buses across the region are set at the one zone rate of $2.85, a switch TransLink made during the roll out of the Compass contactless smart card payment system.

Users purchase a Compass card for a $6 refundable deposit, then load it with stored value. The $6 deposit can be used temporarily if a rider forgets to maintain enough stored value, but the value on the card must be replenished above $6 before the next trip or they will not be able to tap in.

SkyTrain and SeaBus were barrier-free at their inception. BC Transit, and later TransLink, took the position that the barrier-free proof of payment system was more effective than having fare gates or turnstiles. In the early 2000s, they estimated a five percent fare evasion rate on SkyTrain, or approximately $2 million or less per year. Fare checks and fines issued inside Fare Paid Zones kept the rates at that level. Since the staff conducting the checks – SkyTrain attendants and transit police – would still be required even with physical fare barriers, maintaining a barrier fare system would be more costly than the barrier-free option.[15]

In late 2007, the provincial Minister of Transportation, Kevin Falcon, announced interest in the installation of an access-controlled fare system.[16]

In March 2008, Ken Dobell, a lobbyist for Cubic Corporation, started talks with Minister Falcon with the intention of selling technology to TransLink. Dobell, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell's former deputy minister, had just been found guilty of breaching the Lobbyists Registration Act.[17]

In April 2009, the Office of the Premier, the Government of Canada, and TransLink announced the implementation of fare gates and smart cards.[18] The $194-million system was rolled out in November 2015; TransLink estimates it saves $2 million a year in fare evasion.

In August 2022, TransLink announced they were working on allowing of Compass cards to be stored in digital wallets; however, they noted the feature could take years to implement.[19]

• Official Compass website