BC Transit to launch tap fare system with Victoria pilot in 2022
BC Transit has announced plans to eventually bring touchless, electronic fare collection to buses across the province.
The new system, called Umo – pronounced "you-mo" – will allow riders to pay for trips with a reloadable smart card, mobile app, debit card, credit card, or mobile wallet.
Cash will continue to be accepted after the new system is implemented over the coming years, BC Transit said Tuesday.
The Umo system will be rolled out in two phases, with the first phase adding tap payments through reloadable smart cards and the mobile app. The second phase will include electronic payments through credit cards, debit cards and mobile wallets.
BC Transit said the Victoria Regional Transit System will be the first region to implement the new technology. A pilot program for the Umo system will launch in the Greater Victoria area by fall 2022.
"Modernization initiatives like this are important as we look to rebuild ridership to pre-pandemic levels and grow our public transportation system in the years to come," said B.C. Minister of Transportation Rob Fleming in a statement Wednesday.
"With the use of cash in sharp decline everywhere, efficient and convenient electronic fare payment options are the way of the future," he said.
Once fully implemented, payments through the Umo system can be used across the BC Transit system.
The operator says the electronic payment system will also improve service, since bus drivers will no longer need to validate physical tickets and handle bus fare as often as they currently do.
BC Transit expects that cleanliness will also improve because the farebox will be a less frequently used touchpoint.
The roughly $23.2-million electric fare system is being funded through the federal government, which is contributing 50 per cent of project costs, the provincial government, which is providing 40 per cent, and local government partners, which are contributing 10 per cent of project costs.
The Umo system will be implemented by Cubic Transportation Systems, which operates the TransLink Compass Card network in Metro Vancouver.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.