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Arc Smart Fare System

Gronk! said:
Sigh - only in Edmonton would they complicate a simple matter. Arc cards need to be plastic or paper, not both.
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It makes sense to me personally. Cards are meant to replace monthly passes and have a lifespan of a few years (nine or ten I believe), so they need to be durable. Tickets are single-use, for those who don't want a "pass" (or forgot theirs). They're not reloadable and don't need to be as durable, so they might well be made of something cheaper.
 
EdwardEdm said:
Edmonton never got Translink's old TVM's. The other poster just commented that Edmonton and Vancouver had the same basic machines, and they are right. Both were supplied by Cubic, Translink's machines just had more bells and whistles than Edmonton's. Indeed, Translink's newest machines look even more similar to the Edmonton machines than the one posted earlier in this thread.
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I meant when did Edmonton get their TVMs, not when did Edmonton get Translink's old TVMs.
 
Gronk! said:
Sigh - only in Edmonton would they complicate a simple matter. Arc cards need to be plastic or paper, not both.
Click to expand...
Not sure I agree. The tickets are one time use, just like the old paper tickets, which differs from the cards which can be used and refilled for much longer. They ought to be different. This is quite common from what I’ve seen.
 
I feel like people are misunderstanding the tickets vs cards hahaha.

Why would you want a reloadable paper ticket to keep for months???

Why would you want a one time use ticket to be plastic??

This is common practice everywhere and very logical haha. Shouldn’t be a discussion.
 
So back to my main concern - is the Arc ticket the same price as existing paper tickets? Does anyone know?
 
David A said:
So back to my main concern - is the Arc ticket the same price as existing paper tickets? Does anyone know?
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The Arc ticket is more expensive. It is $3.50 like a cash fare. And this is important. The Arc ticket is only intended to be sold as a single unit to a walk up customer buying a single fare. You pay the same for an Arc ticket that you would walking up to an old TVM with $3.50 cash.

The comparable for the paper tickets is the Arc card, which allows a fare of $2.75 vs $2.775 for a paper ticket from a 10 pack, with the added advantage you don't need to pay $27.75 with the card in one shot to get the lower price of the 10 pack vs. a cash fare.
 
Yes, I see the 3.50 and that makes sense. I don't see anything for 27.50 or 27.75. I suppose you can choose the amount to put on the Arc card, but then you also have to pay the initial fee for the card.

I am thinking if you use it a lot, you will eventually get close to 2.75 factoring in the card fee, but if not the paper tickets would still be a better deal.
 
David A said:
Yes, I see the 3.50 and that makes sense. I don't see anything for 27.50 or 27.75. I suppose you can choose the amount to put on the Arc card, but then you also have to pay the initial fee for the card.

I am thinking if you use it a lot, you will eventually get close to 2.75 factoring in the card fee, but if not the paper tickets would still be a better deal.
Click to expand...
You recoup the $6 cost of the card after 8 trips where you tap on/off, as that would add $0.50 to the $2.75/trip cost for a total of $3.50 - same as a paper ticket. Trips after the first 8 would then be cheaper than paper tickets, forever (unless you lose the card and have to buy a new one, that is).
 
David A said:
There is no $6 fee to buy the 10 paper tickets, this is what I am comparing it to.
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$3.50 x 10 = $35
$2.75 x 10 = $27.50 + $6 = $33.50

The breakeven where the arc card is cheaper than paper tickets is fast.
 
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