Vancouver may get smart card transit program, but not until 2011
An automated fare collection system is being contemplated by the transportation agency in Vancouver, British Columbia. The minister of transportation, Kevin Falcon, said he wants the system up and running as soon as possible because it will help block people from riding unauthorized and unpaid as well as make the transit system safer.
He is shooting for a launch in 2010, but TransLink, the organization responsible for the regional transportation network in Vancouver, may proceed cautiously. They are planning a smart card system that could be close to completed by 2010, but they don’t feel that it will officially launch that soon. Systems throughout the world on average take around six years to complete, from when they get the green light to start the project to the time it was actually operational. One advantage for TransLink is that they have been following smart card-using systems throughout the world and will be hopefully be able to avoid some of the problems that current systems have had.
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