Officials in Vancouver, British Columbia, have initiated a project to bring smart cards to the area’s Translink mass transit system. A preliminary call for advice to help shape the project was issued in April, and officials hope the system will be in place within the next six years at a cost of around $125 million.
The Translink system covers several types of transportation, including the SkyTrain rail system, buses, and SeaBuses. Smart cards will enable passengers to use all types of transit under one fare system, and pay based on actual distance traveled, rather than the current system which uses a set of boundaries throughout the metropolitan area to determine fees.
Officials also would like to enable the card to make payments beyond the transit system, including parking garages fees, bridge tolls and purchases at shops near transit stations. They also hope to include including quality-of-service based fares, where the system automatically refunds fares if the rider was subjected to an unacceptable delay.
The Canadians plan to look at successful implementations of smart card systems around the world, from Hong Kong to London, to avoid pitfalls that could slow down their own adoption of the technology. The insights of earlier adopters may speed the process for Translink. Officials hope to begin accepting bids for the system early in 2009, with actual implementation beginning between 2009 and 2011. ![[end]](/resources/bullet/archive-4.gif)
