Stand in a Translink bus stop line and it's FREE; Enter a Seabus Terminal and the Compass card goes $Cha-Ching and the ride doesn't start for fifteen minutes

Translink claims that our fare is good for 90 minutes without clarifying what constitutes whether or not we are getting value for our money.

Lonsdale Quay:  Translink passengers PAY FIRST then walk 250 feet to stand in a holding pen until the Seabus arrives from Waterfront Station.  Waiting time varies from 'just missed the boat' which equates to 13 minutes, or ten, or eight, or six or four or two or if you're really lucky, ZERO minutes because the Second Seabus has just arrived.

North Shore Lonsdale Quay 250 foot walk Cha-Ching $

                       

Waterfront Station:  Translink passengers PAY FIRST then walk 685 feet to stand in a holding pen until the Seabus arrives from Lonsdale Quay.  Waiting time varies from 'just missed the boat' which equates to 13 minutes, or ten, or eight, or six or four or two or if you're really lucky, ZERO minutes.

South Shore Waterfront Station $Cha-Ching

If you're really UN-Lucky, wait another sailing of 13 minutes because the first Seabus was full

And then of course there's the disembarking scenario, no need to wait in a holding pen queue of course, but there's still that 685 feet to walk before you have to Tap Out.

The other rip off is the ADD FARE to cross Burrard Inlet, north or south but we don't get anymore traveling time than 90 minutes from when we first boarded the system, even with an ADD FARE.  It's a levy.   Motorists travel over Burrard Inlet at the First and Second Narrows Bridges but are not required to pay that ADD FARE?  Not FAIR, right.  We, who use public transit to reduce pollution, and congestion, pay a levy.

There is another option to treat all patrons of Translink fairly. Create holding pens at every bus stop, just like Seabus stations.  Require patrons to PAY FIRST to get into the holding pens, and then run the buses late thereby creating a windfall for Translink coffers.  In essence, Translink treats Sea Bus patrons differently because they can, with a captive market.

There is a solution for Seabus patrons and it's staring the over paid Translink Executivea right in their beady little eyes.

Before entering those holding pens containing the maximum of 400 souls there are turn-stile counters that are there to satisfy Transport Canada regulations regarding sufficient numbers of life jackets in case of an emergency.

Why not put the Compass card at the turnstiles?

Why is Translink collecting our money and forcing us to walk close to 1,000 feet before we get anywhere near a line up.... for a bus that just happens to be waterborne?

And then there's the long walks from the Compass machines on the way to and from the Canada Line.  Why are we putting up with such nonsense when the Compass machines should be at the holding pens OR to be accurate, at the moment we step aboard just like buses!

Translink raves about their schedules.

PROVE IT!