Fare increase leaflet
On July 1st, 2018, TransLink BC has a Canada Day present for residents of Greater Vancouver – a neat fare increase. With this fare increase, a 2-zone monthly pass will cost $128 (up from $126) , and a 3-zone monthly pass will cost $174 (up from $172). With other costs of living going up as well, there is one way you can save on a 3-zone monthly pass…
I recently visited Coquitlam by West Coast Express and upon arriving at Coquitlam Central and took the SkyTrain to Lafarge Lake-Douglas with no extra charge on my 2-zone pass. Then I took the Millenium Line from Lafarge Lake-Douglas to Production Way-University, went downstairs to tap out and immediately tapped back in. Upon exiting at Granville station, I discovered that the entire trip from Coquitlam to downtown Vancouver (which is normally a 3-zone fare) cost no extra balance on my Compass card.
The theory is that if you want to travel between zone 1 and zone 3, you should tap out and tap back in at any zone 2 station with a 2-zone pass to avoid the extra charge. When you do that, the computer system will log your trip between zones 1 & 2 as one trip included in the 2-zone pass, and your second leg in zones 2 & 3 as another trip included in the 2-zone pass. This way, instead of being charged the extra $1.50 or paying for the more expensive 3-zone pass, you are only charged 2 unique 2-zone fares. Of course, if you commute between zones 1 and 3 feel free to pay an extra $46 a month for the convenience, but for us weekend explorers, there’s how you can get free ice cream!
