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Arc Smart Fare System
- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
chrisvazquez7
Active Member
It’s on the concourse level near where the ticket validators and ticket vending machines are. It’s not on the train or platform level.
YEG imagineer
Active Member
Is there a date yet for when high schoolers and younger have access to an Arc card?
Gronk!
Senior Member
Thanks, man.
dkazzed
Active Member
At the ticket machine concourse. Everyone past the "gates" has to be in possession of a validated fare.
dkazzed
Active Member
The pilot program for kids and seniors is ongoing until the end of the month and it should be ready to roll out to the general public by September but I'm not getting my hopes up. I currently have Arc cards for my kids. I have one issue with it though, it's the same $2.75 stored value fare as adults, just that activating the card as a concession card gives it a lower $73 monthly cap.
The pilot system was technically a closed beta but anyone with access to pilot.myarc.ca can register for it.
YEG imagineer
Active Member
Was excited to see the Arc card in action today using the Park and Ride at Davies to get to Heritage days with local and out of town family. First, all the Arc machines were out of the plastic cards (machine kept my $16). Did a 311 then back to getting tix for my group. Machines have no special event (return) pricing. Oh well. I'll buy all 5 at the same time. Nope have to buy them one at a time and one way only.
Now we get to the bus parking on the east side of the Expo centre. I ask one of the ETS inspectors where the Arc machine is to buy a return ticket. He asks around, no one knows as there are no machines where the buses are. Finally says to go to the Coliseum LRT station completely opposite of where the festival and the buses are.
Finally the Arc cards we had didn't work on one of the buses.
ETS blew it with a way to get many infrequent transit users to get excited about Arc. No Arc staff around to explain to all the newbies. I can only comment on Davies. The staff around were all polite but this to me was a major drop the ball. Heritage days should have been a big win for ETS. Instead our group and the others I saw at the same time are likely quite frustrated. And no, none of us had cash to just pay at the bus. Sigh, rant over.
Now we get to the bus parking on the east side of the Expo centre. I ask one of the ETS inspectors where the Arc machine is to buy a return ticket. He asks around, no one knows as there are no machines where the buses are. Finally says to go to the Coliseum LRT station completely opposite of where the festival and the buses are.
Finally the Arc cards we had didn't work on one of the buses.
ETS blew it with a way to get many infrequent transit users to get excited about Arc. No Arc staff around to explain to all the newbies. I can only comment on Davies. The staff around were all polite but this to me was a major drop the ball. Heritage days should have been a big win for ETS. Instead our group and the others I saw at the same time are likely quite frustrated. And no, none of us had cash to just pay at the bus. Sigh, rant over.
Gronk!
Senior Member
I was able to use my Arc card when using the LRT to get to the Heritage Festival. Thanks to @chrisvazquez7 I simply tapped on and tapped off, no problem. It cost me $2.75 to ride each way between downtown and the Coliseum LRT station.
IanO
Senior Member
That's rather unfortunate; I would have expected ETS and the COE to really push these cards during events such as this and provide education as well.
thommyjo
Senior Member
I’m still advocating for “first 6 rides free” each month. Get ARC cards into the wallets of as many Edmontonians as possible. Get them using transit here and there so they learn how to and see it’s benefits (hopefully…)
David A
Senior Member
Good idea. I get government staff really don't understand promotion and marketing well, but I had hoped they would find someone to do it or explain it to them.
The initial card fee, for which you get nothing, is a barrier or disincentive, particularly when other options available don't have this problem. If you really must have it, which I still question, then something like some free rides incentive would at least offset that.
That seems like it would have a lot of potential for abuse. With 10 cards, ($60), you could have free transit forever.
David A
Senior Member
I would imagine it would not be too difficult to limit the number of cards per name or email and to have the free rides for new users only.
thommyjo
Senior Member
There will always be ways to trick the system. But there are ways to plug loopholes and still have value outweigh potential abuse.
I’d rather have 800 people trick the system and 5000 more new riders.
thommyjo
Senior Member
Agreed. The card fee is so dumb. I get the thinking…don’t want people to waste or keep getting new ones.
But it’s a classic example of a barrier to purchase.