Vancouver’s TransLink achieves one billion Compass Card ‘taps’ since launch

Canadian transportation authority 376 TransLink’s Compass Card contactless smart card payment system, designed and integrated by 378 Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) has processed more than one billion ‘taps’ since its launch in 2015. Compass Card processes more than 43 million card ‘taps’ each month and over 1.5 million every weekday, with 95 per cent of all fares now being paid using a Compass product.

The Compass Card links all of TransLink’s services and fare products in Metro Vancouver to a single payment system, including buses, West Coast Express, SkyTrain and SeaBus. The Compass system replaces more than 150 different tickets and passes with one easy-to-use, reloadable fare card. Customers have the option to register their Compass Cards and manage their accounts online, giving them the added convenience of loading products online, signing up for AutoLoad on their card balance, as well as avoiding the hassle of waiting in ticket vending machine lines.

In addition, the Compass system is supported by Cubic’s services and operations, which provide the system infrastructure, back office, call centre, card fulfillment and distribution as well as field maintenance services for TransLink.