issues & id@as_ srrormane-avoree ve. cw THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013 7 TransLink Is making changes Cutbacks on programs and possible new developments will be in the works for 2014 Langara students board the Canada Line SkyTrain station at Langara 49th Avenue station during a busy hour. SkyTrain needs more funding Residents in Marpole can look forward to a new SkyTrain station on Cambie Street and 57th Avenue but there are conerns with money By GAVIN FISHER usinesses and residents in Mar- pole look forward to having a new SkyTrain station on Cam- bie Street and 57th Avenue, but doubts about funding for the project remain. The City of Vancouver is considering how redevelopment in the Marpole area could fund construction of the sta- tion, said Jeffrey Busby, senior manag- er of infrastructure planning for Trans- Link. The project is only in the develop- ment stage, and the timeline for con- struction hasn’t been determined.“It’s something we’d like to achieve in the not-to-distant future, but exactly when that timing will be is unknown at this point,” said Ben Johnson, senior plan- ner for the City of Vancouver. Don Barthel, the co-coordinator for Marpole Matters, a group that meets with city officials on behalf of residents said,“It’s a good thing for Marpole, but I’m not sure if they can get enough money from the developer and from TransLink to build the station.” Some businesses and residents said they supported having a SkyTrain sta- tion in Marpole. Joan Arguelles, who works at the RBC Royal Bank on 57th Avenue, takes the 15 Cambie/Olympic Village Stn. bus to work but said it doesn’t come regularly and is often late. “T commute every day, so having a train station here would be really con- venient,” said Arguelles. In the morn- ing, the No. 15 bus is always crowded with Langara students, so having a SkyTrain station in the area would be convenient she said. Langara nursing student Erin Weber had a practicum placement at St. Vin- cent’s Langara care home on 62nd Ave- nue and Manitoba Street during her first year, and found the commute frus- trating. “Td have to either [take the] Canada Line to 49th, or go all the way down to Southeast Marine Drive and walk up,” said Weber. “It would be nice to have a stop in- between because I know every semes- ter they have a placement there. It would be convenient for students.” Gavin Fisher photo face” Marpole is one of Vancouver's oldest communities 2 Another commercial district has been approved for Marpole which will be located in the eastern side of the neighbourhood. 3 In 2009 the Canada Line helped replace the 98 B-Line which used to run through Cambie Street Compass Card program ready to take over 66 By JESSE LAM will not drastically change Langa- What stu- Titnatar new Compass cards dents will ra’s U-Pass Program. have isa Volunteers across the Lower Main- land have been testing the Compass Comp ass cards and so far the feedback has been Card that positive, said TransLink spokesman will be Derek Zabel. . “We’ve had some feedback about the associated bus readers [sensors that read your with their card when swiped] which have been a little slow,” said Zabel. $s tudent ID 1 “The BETA testing is actually one of TransLink’s wredia the most important parts of introduc- relations ing and transitioning to the Compass Card, so there are a lot of things that we have learned.” One Langara student questioned the new Compass Card for its effectiveness and ability to meet the same standards as the current U-Pass program. “T am skeptical. Will the Compass Card for students have an unlimited amount of money?” said Elizabeth Leung. Another Langara student, Heng Cao, said, “I don’t like it. What’s the point?” So what will happen to the U-Pass once it gets replaced by the Compass Card? “What students will have is a Com- pass Card that will be associated with their student ID. They will still have to purchase $6 to get themselves a Com- pass Card,” said Zabel. The cards will replace all of Trans- Link’s passes which include Faresaver tickets and the Employer Passes. At the moment, the prices for the U- Pass will stay the same, as TransLink does not wish to breach the agreement with student societies and the provin- cial government, said Zabel. To use the Compass Card, riders will tap it on blue readers upon entry and exit to transit. Failure to tap upon leaving will re- sult in a charge for an entire route in- stead of just specific zones travelled, according to TransLink. Tapping be- fore a trip’s end could bring a fine. Employer Pass wont make It TransLink has decided to scrap the Employer Pass Program for more “equi- table” fare system By VANESSA SZPURKO ployer Pass Program to spread fare discounts across a broader ridership via the new Compass Card. But Langara instructor Stephen Phil- lips says TransLink is misrepresenting the benefits. Phillips and two other Langara staff members started two petitions - which together total about 415 signatures - against discount-program cancella- tions effective in the new year. Created to boost transit use, the EPP offers 15 per cent off fares for workers at participating employers, including Langara. “At the college, we’re hearing that many faculty and staff who currently use the EPP are going to get back in their cars and start driving to work,” said Phillips. TransLink’s executive VP of strate- gic planning Bob Paddon said, “Build- ing ridership is not necessarily our big- gest challenge today. Our biggest challenge is handling all the riders that we have. [The EPP] is a good discount, so why are we just providing a dis- count to a very se- lect audience of people?” With no new dollars added to the system in five years and minimal expansions of bus service hours over the past three, TransLink hasn’t been keeping up executive VP for with population 8!ategic plan- growth, Paddon @"9 said. “We've found about $300 million in efficiency over the last three years and $40 million last year. So we looked at this program in that context.” The reloadable Compass Card comes with a potential discount for anyone, said Paddon. Any holder who puts at least $5 on their card beyond the required minimum of $6 automati- cally receives a 14 per cent discount on their fare. “They're being very misleading about that,” said Phillips. “What they’re talking about is 14 per cent less than cash fares.” The EPP provides about a 15 per cent discount - on a monthly pass. “We’re also protesting the planned elimination of the Sunday fare waiver, where a regular monthly pass holder or EPP pass holder can take adults for free on Sundays and stat holidays,” said Phillips. “Low-in- come families in particular benefit from that the most, and they’re going to suffer.” Paddon said Translink understood people losing discounts may be con- cerned and upset. “We’re just trying to Ties says it is ending the Em- BOB PADDON TransLink’s