Latest news with #MyFare
Calgary Herald
09-05-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Calgary Transit closer to closing fare evasion with cellphone ticket validation at CTrain stations
Article content CTrain riders who buy tickets through the Calgary Transit app may soon have to scan their phone before boarding the LRT. Article content Article content In a bid to clamp down on fare evasion and a loophole that some riders are exploiting, Calgary Transit is planning to introduce validator technology on CTrain platforms later this year. Article content A housekeeping amendment to the city's transit bylaw to enable the technology was brought to the community planning development committee on Thursday. Article content 'I think this is a good piece of housekeeping,' Ward 9 Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra said before the vote. Article content The amended bylaw would allow for the same ticket-scanning technology that has been used on Calgary's bus fleet since 2020 to be used on trains. Article content Article content A Calgary Transit official told the committee the ticket-scanners would help transit peace officers enforce fare compliance, while also helping track fare evasion more effectively. Article content 'This is truly more around an alignment of our fare system, so that it's aligned between our buses and our LRT, so for our customers, it's a consistent journey,' said Aaron Coon, manager of transit service support for Calgary Transit. Article content Article content The validators will also aim to clamp down on a loophole in which train users pre-purchase their ticket through the My Fare app, but do not activate the fare unless they see a peace officer come on board, according to Coon. Article content The loophole exists because mobile tickets have a seven-day window before they need to be activated. Article content 'What our officers were seeing was individuals would buy the ticket, hold it in the queue and not activate it for seven days,' he said. Article content It's impossible to know how much revenue Calgary Transit has lost as a result, according to Coon, but he noted roughly 46 per cent of single-use mobile tickets were not being activated before they expired. Article content 'This (technology) will inhibit that from happening.' Article content The cost to install validator hardware, software upgrades and educate the public on the changes will be approximately $1.8 million, but Coon said the funding will come from Calgary Transit's existing capital budget.
Calgary Herald
08-05-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Calgary Transit closer to closing fare evasion with cell phone ticket validation at Ctrain stations
Article content CTrain riders who buy tickets through the Calgary Transit app may soon have to scan their phone before boarding the LRT. Article content Article content In a bid to clamp down on fare evasion and a loophole that some riders are exploiting, Calgary Transit is planning to introduce validator technology on CTrain platforms later this year. Article content A housekeeping amendment to the city's transit bylaw to enable the technology was brought to the community planning development committee on Thursday. Article content 'I think this is a good piece of housekeeping,' Ward 9 Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra said before the vote. Article content The amended bylaw would allow for the same ticket-scanning technology that has been used on Calgary's bus fleet since 2020 to be used on trains. Article content Article content A Calgary Transit official told the committee the ticket-scanners would help transit peace officers enforce fare compliance, while also helping track fare evasion more effectively. Article content 'This is truly more around an alignment of our fare system, so that it's aligned between our buses and our LRT, so for our customers, it's a consistent journey,' said Aaron Coon, manager of transit service support for Calgary Transit. Article content Article content The validators will also aim to clamp down on a loophole in which train users pre-purchase their ticket through the My Fare app, but do not activate the fare unless they see a peace officer come on board, according to Coon. Article content The loophole exists because mobile tickets have a seven-day window before they need to be activated. Article content 'What our officers were seeing was individuals would buy the ticket, hold it in the queue and not activate it for seven days,' he said. Article content It's impossible to know how much revenue Calgary Transit has lost as a result, according to Coon, but he noted roughly 46 per cent of single-use mobile tickets were not being activated before they expired. Article content 'This (technology) will inhibit that from happening.' Article content The cost to install validator hardware, software upgrades and educate the public on the changes will be approximately $1.8 million, but Coon said the funding will come from Calgary Transit's existing capital budget.
