Compass picked as winning name for new TransLink fare card

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      TransLink today (March 31) announced its new electronic fare card will be called Compass.

      The pre-paid electronic fare card will be part of a new network-wide fare-payment system that will incorporate faregate barriers on the SkyTrain and SeaBus routes.

      TransLink says the new electronic card will simplify fare payment while the gates will address fare evasion.

      Construction work on the $170-million project is slated to start this spring with the system operating by 2013.

      Burnaby resident Oleksiy Gayda was the winner of a public contest to name the new fare card.

      Today Gayda received his prize of an iPad and a “year’s worth” of free transit once the new fare-card system is in place, TransLink said.

      Gayda was randomly selected as the contest winner after TransLink received more than 70 entries suggesting the name Compass.

      In total, more than 56,000 entries were received last fall as part of the public naming contest, TransLink says.

      After TransLink selected the top-three names—Compass, Starfish, and TPass—a public vote was held to determine the winner.

      Compass earned more than 40 percent of the votes, TransLink said.

      The fare-card design features the word Compass on a blue background with a directional symbol around the letter "C".

      This morning, dozens of TransLink employees were handing out blue Compass buttons and providing information to transit riders across the system.

      TransLink spokesperson Michael Madill said he was pleased with the public response.

      “People like the name. It’s kind of catchy,” Madill told the Straight.

      “People are excited that we’re moving to a new fare-card system,” he added. “Mostly people who’ve been travelling, they know what systems are in place in London, Hong Kong, Europe, the States, so they’re just excited to see that coming to Vancouver now.”

      Madill said the faregate system will help ease concerns about fare evasion.

      “It won’t solve the fare-evasion problem but it certainly will reduce it. And people will be able to feel more safe and secure on the system.”

      Madill said there will be little change to the existing fare system at first, once the fare card is introduced.

      “There may be some small tweaks but generally we’ll keep the zone system in place until we get some data about our customer movements and we work out a system that’s better and even more fair than the system that we have now.”

      Madill said distance-based fare payment could be an option.

      He said the Compass brand will be useful as the new fare system is rolled out.

      “We’ll have a lot of messages for people over the next couple of years to transition to the new system so this’ll help lead the way.”

      He said construction related to the faregate system will likely start by late May or early June.

      SkyTrain riders offered a mixed response today after learning about the new farecard name.

      SFU student Michelle Cheng said Compass was the best of the final-three names.

      “TPass sounds like a cheap imitation of the U-Pass,” she said, referring to the universal transit pass for postsecondary students.

      “Compass is the best one but it still doesn’t really stick out,” she told the Straight.

      Marty Wood said Compass is a good name.

      “It relates to where you’re going and the direction. It’s as good a name as any other,” the New Westminster resident told the Straight.

      Vancouver resident Andrew Witt said he was more concerned about the planned faregate system than the naming contest.

      “Names don’t matter. What matters is barriers,” he told the Straight, calling the faregates “an instance of increased policing”.

      Asked about the fare-card name, Witt said: “I think the more ridiculous it is, the better. Starfish is far superior.”

      Burnaby resident Sean Canasa questioned the need for a faregate system.

      “I think it’s just a waste of money honestly,” he told the Straight.

      Comments

      14 Comments

      Max6868

      Mar 31, 2011 at 1:06pm

      Oh like this guy really NEEDS a iPad, eh>? Google has him.

      douglas boate

      Mar 31, 2011 at 1:43pm

      Now all they need to do with the 50 bucks left over is clean the Seabus bathrooms! They rank #2 compared to all the downtown eastside pub bathrooms as the hygiene standard.

      Tim K

      Mar 31, 2011 at 2:15pm

      These faregates are a waste of money that could go a long way towards purchasing the 500 new buses that our transit system needs.

      Jim C

      Mar 31, 2011 at 2:59pm

      woah, 50K+ submissions, out of the 72 people submitted the name 'Compass', lucky guy to win the draw! suck for him it wasn't ipad 2

      Second Nation

      Mar 31, 2011 at 3:57pm

      Good name.

      Irritated

      Mar 31, 2011 at 4:06pm

      Are you F'ing serious? They are trying to distract us with the name, asking us what we think of the name.. Who cares about the name?!? I'm more concerned about them hounding us for money for everything we do. What's wrong with the system now? I like having a bus pass and just going anywhere with it. If this system is a pain on riders then I'm pretty sure they will see more cars than before on the road. Of course, I won't know for sure until 2013.

      pleased?

      Mar 31, 2011 at 4:23pm

      Yes, I guess so, control the media and everyone is pleased. On the CBC the majority thought spending $170 million plus $15 million annually was stupid.

      Tony Vancouver

      Mar 31, 2011 at 4:34pm

      San Diego already has the Compass Card for transit. So unoriginal!

      Mike Simons

      Mar 31, 2011 at 4:55pm

      It's too bad that none of the most popular names in the contest were included among the three the 'finalist' names (Starfish, Compass, TPass): http://buzzer.translink.ca/index.php/2010/11/contest-inspiration-the-10-...
      Although I support an e-farecard, faregates did not have to be part of the implementation, and Translink is unlikely to recoup the funds used to install them.

      dan.w.s.

      Mar 31, 2011 at 5:09pm

      this city is like a teenager. when it has money they it have no idea how to manage it.