Arc will eventually phase out the plastic cards, which cost $6, for a more convenient payment method. Hotton-MacDonald said part of the reason for the card fee is to discourage users from throwing them away and thereby generating waste.
“Once all of the user groups have transitioned, we’ll be looking at how we consider using the open-payment method, which is really exciting,” she said. “That would be using credit or debit cards, potentially, or smartphones, depending on the design.”
Calgary Transit debuted its smartphone-payment system in June 2020, partly as a way to reduce physical contact in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hotton-MacDonald said ETS’s system was in development before the pandemic began and is complicated by the need to ensure its compatibility with regional operators.
“It was always intended to be a regional solution … Having that regional fare capping — we’re the first in Canada to offer it — is a really key feature of regional Arc implementation,” she said. “One of the positive aspects of making sure we’re giving everybody the time to adjust and adapt to the change is that we’re preparing them properly and providing the amount of support they need to change their behaviours.”
Looking further ahead, Hotton-MacDonald said ETS will explore whether new kinds of fares are needed.
“We’re also considering whether there are other offerings related to Arc that people are looking for, in terms of the types of fare media and how people are travelling,” she said. “Do we need a multi-day Arc pass, as an example?”
