CplKlinger
Senior Member
I just posted a Wikipedia article about the Arc cards!
en.wikipedia.org
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Arc Smart Fare System
- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
Aaron_Lloyd
Active Member
That's a pretty comprehensive article! Nice.
cliffapotamus
Active Member
@CplKlinger you're a legend for this. 10/10.
CplKlinger
Senior Member
Pictures taken by me last night in Central Station.
occidentalcapital
Senior Member
fantastic!!
CplKlinger
Senior Member
The blue info box at the top of Edmonton's project page was changed today(ish), and it now says:
"Thank you to everyone who signed up to test the Arc electronic fare payment system. We continue to work toward the start of the pilot and will be following up with all successful applicants in the weeks leading up to launch, once confirmed.
If you submitted an application to be a volunteer, please continue to buy your fare product as you normally would (tickets, passes, and so on) for the month of August."
Notice that it now removes the reference to the pilot's yet-to-be-decided start date (it used to say "Currently, a specific start date for the pilot has not been confirmed. If you submitted an application to be a volunteer..."), and it instructs those who signed up to continue paying with cash and tickets for the month of August. Further down the page, the pilot's description still mentions a planned start for the summer of 2021, but I still think that this is a noteworthy change.
"Thank you to everyone who signed up to test the Arc electronic fare payment system. We continue to work toward the start of the pilot and will be following up with all successful applicants in the weeks leading up to launch, once confirmed.
If you submitted an application to be a volunteer, please continue to buy your fare product as you normally would (tickets, passes, and so on) for the month of August."
Notice that it now removes the reference to the pilot's yet-to-be-decided start date (it used to say "Currently, a specific start date for the pilot has not been confirmed. If you submitted an application to be a volunteer..."), and it instructs those who signed up to continue paying with cash and tickets for the month of August. Further down the page, the pilot's description still mentions a planned start for the summer of 2021, but I still think that this is a noteworthy change.
cliffapotamus
Active Member
augh @CplKlinger thank you for that update! I applied when it first opened and was feeling all dejected that i didn't make it in. kinda annoying that it's taking so long to test; i was on a bus yesterday (usually i just use a train and bike, so this was unusual for me) and i noticed the ARC card reader was up and running, with as warning not to tap when the door is closed, and switching to a 'tap here' type screen when doors were open. replete with ARC card branding. Let's get this thing running!
CplKlinger
Senior Member
Yeah, I'm irked that it's taking so long as well. Someone told me that they saw a NAIT student tap onto the bus the other day. Presumably the student was using their integrated student ID/upass. The bus driver radioed dispatch for guidance because they didn't know that any sort of testing had started. Apparently the student was allowed to ride though, so I guess it worked? I think it's separate from the main pilot though, since integrated NAIT One Cards are a different kettle of fish.
Foolworm
Active Member
They're on! But they don't take my transit pass (because it's paper of course).
CplKlinger
Senior Member
McKernan station is getting its tap machines set up now. They're around halfway done; its north end doesn't have any machines yet. Of the ones which are installed, all but two (one set) are on. There's one vending machine in the shelter, and I'm guessing that's all there'll be since it's a pretty quiet station.
CplKlinger
Senior Member
According to Grant Macewan's Students Union: "Beginning Aug. 23, we will be distributing the ARC cards on the first floor of the SAMU Building across from the benefits office (right beside the elevator). Cards will be distributed between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday to Friday. Students must present a valid student ID to receive their card." This means that the UofA is the only major institution not to provide a clear answer (NAIT is intergrating Arc Card tech into their student IDs). I contacted a friend of mine who's a UASU elected rep to see if she knows what'll happen. She responded that they'll hopefully decide next week, but no decision has been made yet. They might choose to stick with stickers, but this apparently is not a final decision.
CplKlinger
Senior Member
I just confirmed with UofA SU exec that we will be using Arc cards for our upasses starting this fall, and they'll be doing a lot of messaging about how to use them in the next week or so. That means students at Grant Mac, NAIT, and the UofA will all be using smart cards for their upasses. Rather than using separate cards, NAIT is integrating the Arc Card tech into their student IDs (the first postsecondary institution in Canada to do so). Norquest has yet to state how their fall 2021 upass will be delivered.
CplKlinger
Senior Member
According to an SU staff member I have been talking with: The Arc cards have arrived at the UofA campus, and SU/OneCard staff are testing them internally before they're greenlit for distribution.
Also, the new vending machines at NAIT and Macewan stations are on. I decided to try and the buttons, and found something interesting: Both machines let me navigate to the page which sells Arc tickets for the different services in the area. Arc tickets tap like the cards, but can't be reloaded and it looks like they'll only be valid for 90 minutes from activation.
*The first picture isn't mine; I just forgot to take a picture of that screen.
Also, the new vending machines at NAIT and Macewan stations are on. I decided to try and the buttons, and found something interesting: Both machines let me navigate to the page which sells Arc tickets for the different services in the area. Arc tickets tap like the cards, but can't be reloaded and it looks like they'll only be valid for 90 minutes from activation.
*The first picture isn't mine; I just forgot to take a picture of that screen.
CplKlinger
Senior Member
This tidbit was in an email which the UAlberta Students' Union just sent out:
"U-Pass is back! Although ETS planned to launch Arc Cards (your new tap-on-tap-off transit pass incorporated into your U-Pass) for us this year, they will not be able to get enough cards to us for the start of classes. You’ll need your ONEcard to use transit until you get your Arc Card. We will update you as we receive more details from ETS."
I wonder if we'll just need to show our OneCards, or if they'll make us use stickers until we get our Arc cards.
"U-Pass is back! Although ETS planned to launch Arc Cards (your new tap-on-tap-off transit pass incorporated into your U-Pass) for us this year, they will not be able to get enough cards to us for the start of classes. You’ll need your ONEcard to use transit until you get your Arc Card. We will update you as we receive more details from ETS."
I wonder if we'll just need to show our OneCards, or if they'll make us use stickers until we get our Arc cards.
mcr
Active Member
Have full details been released on how the Arc cards will work as far as swiping on/off goes? Was in Vancouver a few weeks back, and the way the Compass system there works is so easy and should be the standard Arc strives for. Swipe on/off for SkyTrain & SeaBus (since it can be multiple zones), only swipe on for buses. Everything automated for what it ends up charging you, and flashes your card totals at swipe-outs.
If we need to swipe off of every bus here, I think that's going to be a mess at busy stops when 10 people all need to get off. Or if swiping out is required at LRT stations, they'll need to position the machines in a much more convenient location than what we've seen so far.
If we need to swipe off of every bus here, I think that's going to be a mess at busy stops when 10 people all need to get off. Or if swiping out is required at LRT stations, they'll need to position the machines in a much more convenient location than what we've seen so far.