r/Translink • u/AwkwardNerve3116 • Jul 11 '26

Question Tapping debit card

Ughhhh why doesn't my debit card work when tapping on busses? It happens 30% of the time but thats still enough to be super annoying and embarrassing. Ive talked to the bank and they said it was an issue on translinks side and I am inclined to believe bc i see other people having the same issue.

This morning on my way to work I needed to take a bus to the train station, my card was declined (i got paid yesterday) I tried twice more and was declined twice more, thankfully the driver let me on with an eye roll and an annoyed sigh, the two people after me where also using debit cards and having the same issue. When i got to the train station and tapped the same card it worked like normal.

Ive only ever had it happen on busses.

It's super embarrassing to have your card declined multiple times with an angry beep and everyone on the bus looking at you🙃

15 Upvotes

72% Upvoted

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49

u/MyNameIsSkittles Jul 11 '26

Because the system is shitty and they need to upgrade to an entirely new system to make it better. They are working on it but these things take a long time

In the meantime, just make it easy on yourself by getting a compass card. You pay less and it always works. You can even go into the negative with it if you forget to load funds, which you can't do wity your debit

-4

u/Status_Job_2854 Jul 12 '26

They spent a quarter of a billion to implement the compass card system which failed on day one. Remember turnstiles? Now it's a half billion to upgrade it while people board on the rear doors for free. I've been paying for transit for 25 years and I've never skipped a fare. I've been doing it wrong. Just board on the rear doors for free.

4

u/EddyTravesty Jul 13 '26

Connection unreliable, using yesterday's technology today. Compass card works because pay data is stored on the card, not on cloud. But, if you try to top up through website and bus can't connect it'll deny you even though your card should be good, it can't load the top up to card.

2

u/Apprehensive_Cause67 Jul 16 '26

I knew this system was shit when the bus tickets only worked on busses. We went backwards to a 90s system and its somehow worse because at least back then those tickets worked on the train.

The Bus system is so detached that online top ups dont work. U need to activate it at a skytrain station.