Some City of Calgary transit users are frustrated about new ticket validation rules.
According to new rules implemented on July 26, Calgary transit mobile tickets (on MyFare and Transit apps) are required not only to purchase and activate their ticket in-app but also validate it at a machine on the platform before boarding the train.
Ticket validators are located outside the platform to ensure users validate their tickets before riding. The machines are apart of a $1.8 million capital project including the hardware, software and awareness campaign. PHOTO: AVA FREE
Several reddit users have expressed their frustration. One person says it defeats the purpose of mobile tickets.
“This is the stupidest thing ever. They should have the ticket on the app validated as soon as it’s purchased, like when you pay at the machines. The whole purpose of having a mobile ticket is so you don’t have to stop and use a machine or wait in line to validate. The lines for transit tickets after sporting events or concerts are gonna be a nightmare.”
“I feel like we might as well get rid of the app altogether and just go back to the old way of buying tickets. Anyone else feel like it’s just an added step that makes the app more inconvenient?”
When a ticket is validated, a green light or successful confirmation appears on the validation scanner located at each platform, however the mobile ticket does not reflect a change.
Individuals who are caught without a properly activated and validated ticket are subject to a $250 fine.
Prior to the change, tickets only had to be activated in the app. A loophole in the system meant many transit users could avoid activating their ticket until a peace officer appeared to check for payment, making it easy for them to use their ticket in the future if they weren’t caught.
Fourth-year university student Abigayle Kirzinger said she would do just that.
“As a student who’s paying tuition, rent, gas and more I’m always looking for ways to save,” says Kirzinger.
As a frequent transit user, she says despite the new rules, the risk of being ticketed doesn’t outweigh the reward of saving money — especially in the summer.
“If I crunched the numbers, the amount of money I would’ve spent this summer on tickets everyday would far surpass one, or even two $250 fines.”
She says the validation system is more of a hassle than effective.
If an adult paid $3.80 per fare twice a day every weekday this summer, they would spend approximately $650. Alternatively, a monthly pass costs an adult $460 from May to August.
Why the change?
According to the City of Calgary’s website, “the new process of using platform validators will help ensure everyone who rides with us uses a valid proof of fare.” This ensures the costs of delivering public transit are kept as “balanced as possible.”
Comparatively, transit systems in other Canadian cities have combatted fare evasion by installing gates, forcing users to tap and validate their ticket in order to access the platform.
In 2023, a number of city councillors including Dan McLean requested a “closed system” similar to that of Vancouver or Toronto. However, Calgary city council was quick to deem it infeasible.
According to a LiveWire interview with Aaron Coon, manager of transit service support at Calgary Transit, the new validation system is a part of a “capital project” costing $1.8 million that “includes the hardware and installation, the software and upgrades, along with an education and awareness campaign.”
The $1.8 million cost to implement a validation system is far less than the proposed $284 million to install a closed system.
City of Calgary peace officers stand outside Chinook Station with a city transit bus driver waiting for users to board. Individuals who are caught without a validated ticket are subject to a $250 fine. PHOTO: AVA FREE
Bigger concerns
Although the City says the changes to fare validation will help increase revenue and user accountability, other concerns around transit still stand.
In August, “city council unanimously approved allocating $15 million to install assault barriers on all of Calgary Transit’s bus fleet[s],” according to the Calgary Herald. The decision came after Mike Mahar, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 583 – which represents Calgary Transit operators – said the union investigates around 70 assaults committed against its members each year.
Amidst the concern for safety, Kirzinger says fare collection shouldn’t be the priority.
“I think when a lot of people think about public transit problems, the first thing that probably comes to mind is homelessness and transient populations [who use] the train.”
Kirzinger emphasizes how ticketing homeless individuals doesn’t solve the problem.
“A transit officer can’t issue them a $250 ticket and expect it to be paid. That’s unrealistic.”
Ava Free is passionate about documentary-style, photo and investigative journalism as well as creative writing. In her fourth year of journalism and digital media, Free enjoys challenging herself with...
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