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
BREAKING Bob Cole, veteran CBC broadcaster and former voice of ‘Hockey Night in Canada,’ dead at 90
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
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 that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.