TransLink: $173 if you don't pay, but what if your vending machine won't let you?

There is another side to this Compass Card vending machine problem that TransLink needs to address.

If you travel on the SkyTrain without proof of payment, you can receive a $173 fare infraction ticket.

That's not a small penalty for someone living on a limited income.

In fact, TransLink has been increasing fare enforcement patrols. Many of us remember the enforcement blitzes a couple of years ago, when Transit Police and security personnel were checking passengers throughout the system.

TransLink said its August 2024 enforcement campaign was intended to reduce fare evasion and recover an estimated $5 million annually in lost fares.

I understand that public transportation costs money to operate. I understand that people who can afford to pay should pay their fares.

But here is my question:

What happens when a passenger actually wants to pay, has the money in their pocket, but the Compass vending machine won't accept it?

I have now experienced this twice.

Both times, my toonies wouldn't work in the machine. Both times, I ended up having to put in a $20 bill.

The first time, I received $8 in Compass credit and only $4 back in change. I still don't know where the other $8 went.

What if I hadn't had a $20 bill?

What if I had only brought enough toonies and loonies for my trip?

Am I supposed to risk travelling without proof of payment because the machine won't accept my money?

And if a Transit Police officer checks my fare, am I expected to explain that TransLink's own equipment wouldn't let me purchase one?

Would that explanation protect me from a $173 fine?

This is where the system needs to be examined.

TransLink cannot place the entire responsibility on passengers while ignoring the reliability of its own payment infrastructure.

If fare enforcement is important enough to warrant increased patrols, surely maintaining working payment machines is equally important.

I want an investigation into:

• How many Compass vending machines are rejecting coins?
• How often are customers losing money through failed transactions?
• Are machines being regularly tested?
• Is there a process to protect passengers who cannot purchase a ticket because of equipment failure?
• What instructions are Transit Police given when a passenger reports a malfunctioning machine?
• How many complaints have been received about coin acceptance and incorrect change?

And most importantly, what happens to someone who genuinely cannot afford another $20 bill?

We have people living in poverty, seniors counting their pennies, students trying to get to school, and people struggling to get to work.

Public transit is supposed to be accessible.

It shouldn't become a situation where the passenger faces a $173 penalty for something that may be caused by TransLink's own equipment.

Accountability has to work both ways.

If passengers are expected to follow the rules, TransLink must ensure its machines work, its payment systems are reliable and people have a fair opportunity to pay.

I am asking for a formal investigation and a public response.

Because $173 is a lot of money when you're already struggling to get by.

And so is $20 when it's the only cash you have.

TransLink, we need answers.

#TransLink #CompassCard #VancouverTransit #TransitPolice #FareEnforcement #PublicTransportation #Poverty #Accessibility #Accountability #CostOfLiving