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Arc Smart Fare System

Aaron_Lloyd said:
I believe the issue is, unfortunately, that the actual IT infrastructure for ARC is based out of an Amazon Web Services facility in Montreal (can''t say 100% the actual card scanning is handled in Montreal, but myarc.ca certainly is, so seems like a fair bet). It takes time to relay a signal all the way across the country and then be sent alll the way back.

I think this is also an issue with some other online services that just feel glitchier in Edmonton than other cities (Lime I suspect is affected by the same issue for example). Edmonton and Alberta generally just doesn't have that much easily accessible IT infrastructure for companies to tap. I recently needed a server for a personal project I was working on and really had to look for a provider here in Edmonton (went with Net Know, would recommend btw). The difference between a server in town vs. one in Vancouver, Toronto, or Montreal where most Canadian web services are based is night and day as far as responsiveness goes.
Click to expand...

Yes, this is an issue. Today, I tried to tap my Ard card in LRT station (Exiting) and it did not respond like after 5 seconds. Then I thought the machine was broken and I went to another. Just I was tapping my card on another machine, there was a "beep" sound from the original machine! This means the delay is outrageous. Finally I ended up "exit" and "entry" again. I need to tap again to have an "exit" again.
 
I wish someone in city administration had thought of server location, maybe they are not very tech savy. Could they have put in conditions about server location or speed?

Its nice we are supporting the Montreal economy here, but I wish our city would pay more attention to supporting things locally.
 
To start I'm only a hobbyist with regard to this sort of stuff, so I would recommend anyone take anything I say with a big ole grain of salt, but I would guess Vix is possibly pretty tied up in Amazon's specific technologies and tragically Amazon only operates the one location in Canada (ca-central-1). I should also mention that I'd bet the 5 second waits for the card to scan are probably also caused by issues beyond just the latency to the server (like a bad mobile connection). How much the latency is affecting things will depend a lot on how many roundtrips Vix's card technology takes to validate the transaction.

Worth pointing out as well that edmonton.ca routes to a Google server in Kansas City. 😄
(though calgary.ca does actually route to a server in Calgary interestingly)
 
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Foolworm said:
Just set the fares in crypto and have done with it. 10 Doge a ride and nobody would bat an eyelid. This can be done by introducing a good payment gateway with high-quality crypto payments processor, everything is quite simple.
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I agree with you that paying with crypto is the most convenient. Here are some reasons:

Speed: Cryptocurrency transactions are completed quickly and efficiently. This means that passengers can pay for travel instantly, without having to wait for confirmation from the bank.
Low Fees: Fees for cryptocurrency transactions are typically lower than fees for traditional payments. This means passengers can save money.
Security: Cryptocurrency transactions are more secure than traditional payments as they use encryption to protect data. This means passengers can be confident that their money is safe.
In your example of 10 Doge per trip, passengers can simply send this amount to the taxi driver's address. It only takes a few seconds and passengers will not pay any fees.

Of course, cryptocurrency also has some disadvantages, such as exchange rate volatility. However, I believe that the advantages of paying with crypto outweigh the disadvantages.

I believe that over time, more and more companies will accept cryptocurrencies as payment. This is due to the fact that cryptocurrencies are becoming more popular and convenient to use.
 
As per the Transit Manager, who was on speaking municipally, as long as the reader reacts to your card (positively or negatively) your trip will be recorded and fair payed.

The declined taps have more to do with the individual units not connecting to what ever system/network they upload to. They have an internal memory and will transfer their data upon reconnection.

Dallas seemed to have the exact same hardware (70% sure) , I will say they did not have the same lag Edmonton seems to have.

Also…. why cant I register my CC to my account and use it. Another feature Dallas has. Think of all the plastic Arc Cards that wouldn't be needed!
 
Yeggy said:
Also…. why cant I register my CC to my account and use it. Another feature Dallas has. Think of all the plastic Arc Cards that wouldn't be needed!
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I think that since the provincial fare card ship has sailed, the next best thing would be both Arc and MyFare allowing bank cards as account tokens. Even if you have to make two accounts you could use a single card between the two cities. I know this is in the 2023-26 timeline for Calgary, I'd hope this and open loop payment are in the works for Arc as well
 
whatchyyc said:
I think that since the provincial fare card ship has sailed, the next best thing would be both Arc and MyFare allowing bank cards as account tokens. Even if you have to make two accounts you could use a single card between the two cities. I know this is in the 2023-26 timeline for Calgary, I'd hope this and open loop payment are in the works for Arc as well
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Right!!! an NFC reader is an NFC reader.. The only issue I can think of is re privacy. I know we are much more legally strict with our banking info here compared to the usa.

Do any other Canadian cities allow CC’s to be used as a token.
 
Arc quietly launched for seniors today
Screenshot_20240122-000632_Chrome.jpg
 
edmontonjournal.com

Edmonton hikes transit fares in 2025 amid revenue shortfall, looks to fill low-income pass gap

Taking the bus or LRT will be more expensive next year, and the city is looking for ways to fund a gap for low-income transit passes.
edmontonjournal.com edmontonjournal.com

Require bus operators to close the doors & set destination sign to [Not In Service] when leaving buses unattended at Transit Centres.

I wonder if ETS tracks Arc tap on’s that flash red, beep & display “Insufficient Funds”.

Unfortunately, I’m seeing people pretend it’s a validator problem. Saw someone right in front of me do that, was temped to call em out.
 
YEG Bus Rider said:
edmontonjournal.com

Edmonton hikes transit fares in 2025 amid revenue shortfall, looks to fill low-income pass gap

Taking the bus or LRT will be more expensive next year, and the city is looking for ways to fund a gap for low-income transit passes.
edmontonjournal.com edmontonjournal.com

Require bus operators to close the doors & set destination sign to [Not In Service] when leaving buses unattended at Transit Centres.

I wonder if ETS tracks Arc tap on’s that flash red, beep & display “Insufficient Funds”.

Unfortunately, I’m seeing people pretend it’s a validator problem. Saw someone right in front of me do that, was temped to call em out.
Click to expand...
Frankly fare evasion is less of a problem than current, future and potential riders being scared off by the state of the system...
 
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