The beta testing of the new Compass card is now complete, and Translink says there are a number of issues it has identified ahead of the big launch next year.
Ten thousand volunteers tapped in and out over half a million times in the span of over three weeks.
The company says some of the key findings of the beta test are that the green screen colour can be challenging for some to read, response time on some of the buses is occasionally slow and readers only work while buses are turned on.
However, Translink also found purchasing and loading cards on vending machines was user friendly and the fare gates performed as expected — letting people who tapped in immediately and stopping people who did not tap.
Translink says the rollout of the new system will be phased in over several months, starting with small groups of select users in late fall. Additional groups will be added in stages through the winter and into the spring of 2014.
A comprehensive eight-million education program to teach commuters how to use the card is also needed.
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