The much-touted Compass Card being rolled out by TransLink this fall came under attack Wednesday when it emerged that passengers who preferred to stick with cash will be heavily penalized.
Bus tickets purchased by cash will no longer be valid for transfer onto the SkyTrain system, instead, travelers will have to purchase a second fare to continue their journey.
Derek Zabel, a spokesperson for TransLink, told News 1130 that the cost of converting all the fare boxes would be $25 million and that the transit authority estimates around 6,000 people a day would be affected by the change.
TransLink are encouraging users to purchase the new Compass Card, where discounts and incentives are promised, Zabel noted.
But Gary Davis, vice-president of the bus drivers' union told CTV news that around a quarter of passengers currently pay with cash. "This is a lot of people that are going to be seriously inconvenienced,” he said.
A group calling themselves "Transit Riders For Fair Fees" have launched an online petition calling on Translink CEO Ian Jarvis to revisit the decision and "stop the double transit fee."
Twitter reaction to the news was swift and, unsurprisingly, harsh. View our slideshow of comments below: