7 per cent revenue increase after fare gates closed: TransLink CEO

Since the SkyTrain fare gates closed on April 4, TransLink’s revenue has risen by seven per cent, according to TransLink’s new CEO Kevin Desmond.

Desmond says the revenue numbers are very preliminary and the analysis is limited to just the SkyTrain system.

“It’s early,” said Desmond. “But that’s a very good indication of the very high utilization of the Compass Card. And the fact that now that the gates are closed, people pay.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's early," said Desmond. "But that's a very good indication of the very high utilization of the Compass Card. And the fact that now that the gates are closed, people pay."

Desmond says TransLink’s statisticians came up with the seven per cent figure by monitoring SkyTrain Compass Card revenue just prior to and just after fare gate closures.

If these numbers were to hold out, Desmond says the seven per cent increase in revenue would translate into $6-7 million a year, which he says is a bit more than was anticipated and assumed in TransLink’s budget.

Desmond says their next step is the assessment of the impact of the Compass Card on the entire transit system.

WATCH: Commuters take fare gates closing in stride

2:47 Commuters take fare gates closing in stride