Just my anecdotal observation at Clareview Station. There were a couple of people grabbing a free card but dozens just walked on by. I think people should just grab a card now even if they're not comfortable with using it yet.
But I looked into Compass Card roll out in Vancouver and this was the timeline:
- 2013 - Beta testing started
- Spring 2015 - Limited public release to West Coast Express commuters which immediately saw their old fare and pass system discontinued (West Coast Express fares work on bus, Seabus, and Skytrain, but not the other way around. With 12,000 trips a day, it was an easy group to roll out to.).
- Summer 2015 - Compass U-Pass issued to post secondary students for the new school year.
- October 2015 - Full public release. The new fare gates at Skytrain and Seabus stations remained opened.
- January 2016 - They stopped selling physical monthly passes and faresaver tickets.
- June 2016 - Fare gates at Skytrain and Seabus officially closed without a valid Compass card or ticket.
So this Young Padawan (me) needs patience.
Translink never wanted turnstiles stating that the $100 million dollar cost to install them at 49 stations made no sense with the estimated $5-9 million estimated lost to fare evaders each year. But they were forced to or risk losing funding. The federal government paid $40 million and BC government paid $30 million so Translink was on the hook for $30 million for the gates plus $70 million for the smart fare card when all was said and done.
We could have put fare gates at Capital and Metro Line stations but I think it will be difficult to implement on Valley Line.