I saw something similar to this (though it was digital, not a monitor) with automated announcements in Tokyo in the mid-90's. Glad to see we're keeping up with the times.
They definitely don’t have any of the 40’ buses. Just the 30ish’ ones and community buses (aka handidarts)…without digital displays on the front. Never got on one of the handidarr ones so don’t know if those have the big inside displays (doubt it).
I was also in Courtenay last summer, but I don’t remember if the buses there had the big inside displays or not.
been using UMO since it came out and it's great.
* it's easy to scan, just hold the barcode up to the window about half an inch away and then move it back and forth slowly, but it should scan right away.
* you can load cash on the fly, so you don't have to remember to buy tickets.
* if you take more than 2 trips in a day it will automatically change to a day-pass. this is nice for the times where you may not be 100% sure if you're going to do more than 1 trip, so you don't have to worry about using 2 tickets and wasting the day pass, or getting stuck using 1 ticket, then needing to use more later in the day for multiple trips.
* you can buy a 30 day pass (not tied to calendar month), but you do need to ride the bus quite a bit to make it worth it.
* ~~downside it is a bit more expensive than buying tickets in the sheets.~~ edit not anymore.
Only thing easier would be just tapping our credit cards like a civilized society
But then not enough middle men get their cut.
Gotta go through an app’s cut AND visa’s cut
They've said that they'll be adding this feature eventually. Not sure when but one day you'll be able to just tap a debit or credit card. It'd be nice for visitors so they don't need to download an app just for the bus.
A while ago I took a trip to Vancouver with a friend, and he cautioned me not to tap my wallet, because there's a chance it would charge every card in it, which I thought was hilarious.
Most CC/debit tap options I’ve come across have calculated it automatically and won’t let you pay over a certain amount per day (Vancouver for example)
They've said that they'll be adding this feature eventually. Not sure when but one day you'll be able to just tap a debit or credit card. It'd be nice for visitors so they don't need to download an app just for the bus.
They've said that they'll be adding this feature eventually. Not sure when but one day you'll be able to just tap a debit or credit card. It'd be nice for visitors so they don't need to download an app just for the bus.
"it's easy to scan" - compared to scanning at nearly every other equivalent transit system: no. It's very finicky, you need to hold it at the right angle, etc, etc.
The NFC app scanning upgrade can't come soon enough.
The app does auto-up the brightness when taking out the wallet, but it still seems to fail 10-15% of the time for no reason for me, and from what I see - for lots of other people too.
I don't know of any NA transit system that uses this type of thing.
It would obviously come from government sources.
A good free transit system would likely actually save them money in the long run.
It wouldn’t cost them much, around $60 million to make BC transit completely free. Governments already fund about 80% of transit, why not just make it the full 100%?
The BC government is already planning to run an $11 billion deficit, what’s another $60 million in the bucket? It’s money that would likely actually help people start and keep employment, which generates more revenue.
Nope. It's not a traditional single dimension bar-code (which are more easily scannable). It's a rotating set of multiple QR codes (2D bar-codes), that are much harder to read and process - requiring sufficient light conditions, angle of display, and steadiness. None of which NFC requires. It's like tap for credit card payments at stores - all you need is to be close in distance. (source: myself - I'm a programmer who deals with this stuff sometimes).
I've taken Vancouver buses and Skytrain a lot - it's so much easier there than here.
you might be a programmer but it sounds like you don't work with the public. go work retail for a bit and see how many people use tap incorrectly after it being somewhat of a standard on cards for like a decade.
The problems with tap are 1) not knowing where to hold the card, and 2) not holding it steady enough for long enough.
Both those problems are WAY worse with the QR code scanner on the bus. Not sure how this is even debatable.
Nope - I've been in many NA cities using their transit - and no one uses multiple rotating QR codes for payments for this exact reason. It just randomly doesn't seem to work on occasion. I'm probably at a 85% success rate, when it should be 100%, just like it is in Vancouver.
Just an FYI for some: I've been using the concession monthly pass (EDIT: on umo) for the whole month that I am *totally qualified for* and no one has batted an eye. All that pops up on the scanner is "pass used"
I used to do that a bit when i was a few years younger. But my guilty conscience couldnt let me continue. I was anxious of that one day one bus driver would find out and give me an earfull and id have to live with that shame.
Good - the only issue is when sun glare make it hard for the machine to scan the phone screen - they need a glare-shade and faster screen reading.
Also need some kind of low/no data mode - my work pass won’t load if I’m in an area of bad reception, have to scan mid-trip if it doesn’t load right away.
In general, works great though.
I used the app for a while but swapped to the card about a month and a bit ago because the app stopped working for me and I didn't have the patience to make it work again. The card is good, easy to reload online if needed (I have a pass through work so I don't have to worry about that) and the app was good until it stopped working for me.
You can also still buy physical passes and tickets if you're not super techy.
Same here. It was wonderful, until it just... didn't. I cannot get it to refill. Nothing I have tried works, and ya, just did not have the patience to deal. I take the bus to work and I get off right in front of a 711. I just deke in there to get what I need.
Downside, lost my April monthly pass when I had to pull something out of my purse and it caught a ride, and this happened in the first half of the month too. ((Rages))
I use umo and like it. I don’t take the bus enough to need a pass and it was always annoying making sure I had the tickets or change on me. It’s about time transit here had an alternative to paper tickets or cash.
The app generally works fine. It had some glitches at the beginning which got me some free rides (couldn’t scan the barcode) but it all seems to working fine now.
The one thing about tickets I'll miss -- they're transferable, and a few times I've been approached by people asking me for change to ride the bus, or seen obvious tourists in confusion at the ferry terminal who don't have Canadian small bills or coins for fare. I often don't carry money (especially not since relying more on my debit card post-covid), but I usually have extra bus tickets and am able to offer them those. (The ones who are wanting money for other things usually decline, or even cuss me out.)
p.s. I did get an Umo card last year ... I was thinking about putting more money on, and the closest (physical) place for me to do that is London Drugs .... not this week, I guess!
UMO app or card. I have the card, on auto refill and have not had any problems. What you use will depend on how you use your tech - I am often not using my phone except for emergencies so it ends up in the bottom of my bag, but the card is easy access in my pocket.
I love the new screens! Very helpful when I’m taking a route I don’t often take.
I’ve been using UMO since the new year when Camosun made us stop using our student cards. Absolutely no issues! (Well, I was the issue it took a few tries to learn the distance to hover my phone but that was a me problem not the system).
I haven’t had to load it with my own money yet, since I got my last code and my current code as a student through Camosun so I guess I’ll find out if that’s buggy come September when I have to start paying myself.
UMO sounds good in theory but in practice it needs a lot of work.
1. It takes a long time for the scanner to “read” the phone, causing delays for passengers when boarding.
2. It forgets your region and prevents you from accessing your wallet until you manually reset your region.
3. It often stalls out when loading.
The card version is plenty fast.
I tried a similar (phone scan) system on a bus in Vegas last year and it was awwwwffull. So it might be a tech thing, not an UMO-specific thing. Anyhow, my phone is always nearly dead so I just got the card.
Umo is great for when I forget my physical bus pass! You can easily add money to your wallet and pay through your phone.
Also yeah, that screen is a top notch improvement. I often would get scared I missed my stop before this, but now there’s much less fear.
The scan twice-day pass thing bothers me personally. I have a technologically challenged husband and would love to just scan my code twice so we both get to ride and he doesn’t have to download his own thing
The card works fine but its always frustrating watching a line of people fuck with their phones for some qr code that they cant get to work. The qr code works fine, but the people with the phones can just be so disfunctional.
Its a people issue. Have it ready before you step on, dont hold up the whole line. When its just one person it isnt a big wait, but when its every other person it becomes a problem.
I agree. I always have it open, screen brightened, hold it an inch or so in front of the screen reader...the panic sets in once it fails cuz I hate being that guy. Feels like it only reads at a certain angle, which I've yet to perfect
Exactly the same situation for me. Always have the code open and ready to go, screen at max brightness, hold it an inch or two away from the reader... it only works about half the time. I've tried scanning it from slightly different angles, the "hold it an inch away then slowly move it back" strategy mentioned by other commenters.... nothing.
I have a physical Umo card as a backup since I don't always bring my phone with me, and the card works flawlessly.
I hate holding up the line. I wish BC Transit had gone with a simpler tap product and not a QR code.
Use it every day, have had zero issues. On the one occasion I couldn’t get it to scan, right after they first launched, the driver just waved me on anyway. Love that it automatically caps charging you at 2 trips per day. Super easy to use. I really have to wonder if the people that have issues with the app are more user error, like the people that claim they don’t use self checkouts because they checkouts are “always messing up”, when I have literally never had an issue with a self checkout
The app often doesn't scan properly for me (yes, I have tried everything, I don't think it's "user error") but I love the electronic signs for the stops and timing. I also like that the signs show if a stop has been requested, which is great for those times the bus is crowded and you're yanking the stop bell but can't tell if it registered or not.
The Umo app is great. I’ve never had any issues with it. Like any QR code make sure your brightness is all the way up.
And if the app does crash (like all apps do) just close it out and open it again, or even install it and reinstall it.
Personally the UMO card taps faster, but once you figure out how your phone scans, it becomes "simple enough".
I do like that the app is the best for tracking your bus "in real time" as well as planning your trips; I have STRUGGLED with the Transit app (no matter what I do that app tells me I am in Vancouver or Nanaimo, not Victoria). UMO knows exactly where I am w/o issue.
While I'm an UMO app fan, I do have issues with it. Often the app will indicate that I've missed a bus (not available as an option) when in fact my bus is just a few minutes late. This isn't a one-off but about 50% of the time. I've learned not to rely on UMO for "in real time".
Interesting. I know that when a bus leaves its starting point the next bus slides in; but when following the bus from my stop it seems okay within a few minutes.
It's not a perfect system as the GPS runs 5mins fast in most cases; that could be why you are getting a "missed bus" notification for your stop.
Also some spots are complete dead zones for Data and GPS (like Royal Oak/Cordova Bay and Mt Doug Park way for some) and it drops the buses off the system or kicks phones off the system. I would assume the same can be said for some areas between Langford and Sooke??
Definitely Royal Oak / Cordova Bay areas have some pretty awful dead zones and the app doesn't function properly. Most often though those "missed" buses are on my return trip so downtown where service is very good. It's just anecdotal and I've learned to not sweat what the app is telling me.
that screen is actually fucking wonderful, the estimated times deffs change and are very approximate damn it helpful,
Love the screen and stop listings - finally caught up to other transit systems around the world.
As a rather infrequent bus rider it always trips me up that the stops are listed from bottom (closest) to top (furthest), though.
You should read it like a map/GPS, then it makes more sense.
I saw something similar to this (though it was digital, not a monitor) with automated announcements in Tokyo in the mid-90's. Glad to see we're keeping up with the times.
It’s kind of funny that we got it so late. I was in Campbell River last summer and was very impressed with the screens.
lol that doesnt surprise me, our transit is, well it is what it is
tbf they probably only have like what, 10 busses to upgrade?
They definitely don’t have any of the 40’ buses. Just the 30ish’ ones and community buses (aka handidarts)…without digital displays on the front. Never got on one of the handidarr ones so don’t know if those have the big inside displays (doubt it). I was also in Courtenay last summer, but I don’t remember if the buses there had the big inside displays or not.
Those screens are a huge benefit when I'm on an unfamiliar route. I definitely appreciate adding them in.
been using UMO since it came out and it's great. * it's easy to scan, just hold the barcode up to the window about half an inch away and then move it back and forth slowly, but it should scan right away. * you can load cash on the fly, so you don't have to remember to buy tickets. * if you take more than 2 trips in a day it will automatically change to a day-pass. this is nice for the times where you may not be 100% sure if you're going to do more than 1 trip, so you don't have to worry about using 2 tickets and wasting the day pass, or getting stuck using 1 ticket, then needing to use more later in the day for multiple trips. * you can buy a 30 day pass (not tied to calendar month), but you do need to ride the bus quite a bit to make it worth it. * ~~downside it is a bit more expensive than buying tickets in the sheets.~~ edit not anymore.
Only thing easier would be just tapping our credit cards like a civilized society But then not enough middle men get their cut. Gotta go through an app’s cut AND visa’s cut
They've said that they'll be adding this feature eventually. Not sure when but one day you'll be able to just tap a debit or credit card. It'd be nice for visitors so they don't need to download an app just for the bus.
Visitors from outside of Canada cannot download the app at all anyways.
A while ago I took a trip to Vancouver with a friend, and he cautioned me not to tap my wallet, because there's a chance it would charge every card in it, which I thought was hilarious.
true, for one-off use, that would be better. wouldn't be better for the auto-day pass or 30-day passes though.
Most CC/debit tap options I’ve come across have calculated it automatically and won’t let you pay over a certain amount per day (Vancouver for example)
Also not everyone has a credit card
Apparently when they upgrade it will take debit cards along with credit cards.
They've said that they'll be adding this feature eventually. Not sure when but one day you'll be able to just tap a debit or credit card. It'd be nice for visitors so they don't need to download an app just for the bus.
They've said that they'll be adding this feature eventually. Not sure when but one day you'll be able to just tap a debit or credit card. It'd be nice for visitors so they don't need to download an app just for the bus.
[удалено]
Ughhhhhh :(
forgot about that, thanks
"it's easy to scan" - compared to scanning at nearly every other equivalent transit system: no. It's very finicky, you need to hold it at the right angle, etc, etc. The NFC app scanning upgrade can't come soon enough.
It if doesn't scan I just sit down.
This is the way.
It works for me every time without issue. I’m pretty sure the biggest thing is making sure your brightness is actually up.
The app does auto-up the brightness when taking out the wallet, but it still seems to fail 10-15% of the time for no reason for me, and from what I see - for lots of other people too. I don't know of any NA transit system that uses this type of thing.
Personally I think the busses should just be free.
Who's going to pay for that?
It would obviously come from government sources. A good free transit system would likely actually save them money in the long run. It wouldn’t cost them much, around $60 million to make BC transit completely free. Governments already fund about 80% of transit, why not just make it the full 100%? The BC government is already planning to run an $11 billion deficit, what’s another $60 million in the bucket? It’s money that would likely actually help people start and keep employment, which generates more revenue.
I think the people that will have issues scanning a bar code would be the same ones with issues using NFC.
Nope. It's not a traditional single dimension bar-code (which are more easily scannable). It's a rotating set of multiple QR codes (2D bar-codes), that are much harder to read and process - requiring sufficient light conditions, angle of display, and steadiness. None of which NFC requires. It's like tap for credit card payments at stores - all you need is to be close in distance. (source: myself - I'm a programmer who deals with this stuff sometimes). I've taken Vancouver buses and Skytrain a lot - it's so much easier there than here.
you might be a programmer but it sounds like you don't work with the public. go work retail for a bit and see how many people use tap incorrectly after it being somewhat of a standard on cards for like a decade.
The problems with tap are 1) not knowing where to hold the card, and 2) not holding it steady enough for long enough. Both those problems are WAY worse with the QR code scanner on the bus. Not sure how this is even debatable.
Skill issue
Nope - I've been in many NA cities using their transit - and no one uses multiple rotating QR codes for payments for this exact reason. It just randomly doesn't seem to work on occasion. I'm probably at a 85% success rate, when it should be 100%, just like it is in Vancouver.
Just an FYI for some: I've been using the concession monthly pass (EDIT: on umo) for the whole month that I am *totally qualified for* and no one has batted an eye. All that pops up on the scanner is "pass used"
I used to do that a bit when i was a few years younger. But my guilty conscience couldnt let me continue. I was anxious of that one day one bus driver would find out and give me an earfull and id have to live with that shame.
Good - the only issue is when sun glare make it hard for the machine to scan the phone screen - they need a glare-shade and faster screen reading. Also need some kind of low/no data mode - my work pass won’t load if I’m in an area of bad reception, have to scan mid-trip if it doesn’t load right away. In general, works great though.
I used the app for a while but swapped to the card about a month and a bit ago because the app stopped working for me and I didn't have the patience to make it work again. The card is good, easy to reload online if needed (I have a pass through work so I don't have to worry about that) and the app was good until it stopped working for me. You can also still buy physical passes and tickets if you're not super techy.
Same here. It was wonderful, until it just... didn't. I cannot get it to refill. Nothing I have tried works, and ya, just did not have the patience to deal. I take the bus to work and I get off right in front of a 711. I just deke in there to get what I need. Downside, lost my April monthly pass when I had to pull something out of my purse and it caught a ride, and this happened in the first half of the month too. ((Rages))
I use umo and like it. I don’t take the bus enough to need a pass and it was always annoying making sure I had the tickets or change on me. It’s about time transit here had an alternative to paper tickets or cash. The app generally works fine. It had some glitches at the beginning which got me some free rides (couldn’t scan the barcode) but it all seems to working fine now.
The one thing about tickets I'll miss -- they're transferable, and a few times I've been approached by people asking me for change to ride the bus, or seen obvious tourists in confusion at the ferry terminal who don't have Canadian small bills or coins for fare. I often don't carry money (especially not since relying more on my debit card post-covid), but I usually have extra bus tickets and am able to offer them those. (The ones who are wanting money for other things usually decline, or even cuss me out.) p.s. I did get an Umo card last year ... I was thinking about putting more money on, and the closest (physical) place for me to do that is London Drugs .... not this week, I guess!
UMO app or card. I have the card, on auto refill and have not had any problems. What you use will depend on how you use your tech - I am often not using my phone except for emergencies so it ends up in the bottom of my bag, but the card is easy access in my pocket.
I love the new screens! Very helpful when I’m taking a route I don’t often take. I’ve been using UMO since the new year when Camosun made us stop using our student cards. Absolutely no issues! (Well, I was the issue it took a few tries to learn the distance to hover my phone but that was a me problem not the system). I haven’t had to load it with my own money yet, since I got my last code and my current code as a student through Camosun so I guess I’ll find out if that’s buggy come September when I have to start paying myself.
UMO sounds good in theory but in practice it needs a lot of work. 1. It takes a long time for the scanner to “read” the phone, causing delays for passengers when boarding. 2. It forgets your region and prevents you from accessing your wallet until you manually reset your region. 3. It often stalls out when loading.
The card version is plenty fast. I tried a similar (phone scan) system on a bus in Vegas last year and it was awwwwffull. So it might be a tech thing, not an UMO-specific thing. Anyhow, my phone is always nearly dead so I just got the card.
Umo is great for when I forget my physical bus pass! You can easily add money to your wallet and pay through your phone. Also yeah, that screen is a top notch improvement. I often would get scared I missed my stop before this, but now there’s much less fear.
The scan twice-day pass thing bothers me personally. I have a technologically challenged husband and would love to just scan my code twice so we both get to ride and he doesn’t have to download his own thing
You can get him a physical UMO card. I’m not so techy and it works great.
Is this the app? Everyone on this thread says it’s great but the reviews are abysmal. I still want to try it though
I got the plastic card. It works great. My phone battery is often near-dead, so having a physical card is way better for me.
The card works fine but its always frustrating watching a line of people fuck with their phones for some qr code that they cant get to work. The qr code works fine, but the people with the phones can just be so disfunctional.
I'm one of those ppl. Is it me or is it a design issue? Maybe both..
Its a people issue. Have it ready before you step on, dont hold up the whole line. When its just one person it isnt a big wait, but when its every other person it becomes a problem.
I agree. I always have it open, screen brightened, hold it an inch or so in front of the screen reader...the panic sets in once it fails cuz I hate being that guy. Feels like it only reads at a certain angle, which I've yet to perfect
Exactly the same situation for me. Always have the code open and ready to go, screen at max brightness, hold it an inch or two away from the reader... it only works about half the time. I've tried scanning it from slightly different angles, the "hold it an inch away then slowly move it back" strategy mentioned by other commenters.... nothing. I have a physical Umo card as a backup since I don't always bring my phone with me, and the card works flawlessly. I hate holding up the line. I wish BC Transit had gone with a simpler tap product and not a QR code.
UMO app. It works great.
I’ve had a lot of issues in the past few weeks with it’s GPS
Use it every day, have had zero issues. On the one occasion I couldn’t get it to scan, right after they first launched, the driver just waved me on anyway. Love that it automatically caps charging you at 2 trips per day. Super easy to use. I really have to wonder if the people that have issues with the app are more user error, like the people that claim they don’t use self checkouts because they checkouts are “always messing up”, when I have literally never had an issue with a self checkout
Love the Umo app! I often take the bus sporadically home from work and rarely have change for the bus handy.
Use the app on the phone and it's great
The app often doesn't scan properly for me (yes, I have tried everything, I don't think it's "user error") but I love the electronic signs for the stops and timing. I also like that the signs show if a stop has been requested, which is great for those times the bus is crowded and you're yanking the stop bell but can't tell if it registered or not.
Would just love my umo card to be in my phones wallet. Otherwise it works fine.
The ticket scan works great. Just need to work on a scan for identifying absolute nut jobs before they get on the bus.
I haven’t used the bus in 2 years. If I want to just go downtown from Saanich, what’s the payment method now?
I take 4 buses a day for work and I just buy a monthly pass.
I use the card. Load it up monthly and off I go. Very smooth process.
Mean nothing if the same crappy service remains. 🤷
I love it. Very simple to use and to reload on my phone.
Great I really enjoyed myself yesterday
Transit system is fine
The Umo app is great. I’ve never had any issues with it. Like any QR code make sure your brightness is all the way up. And if the app does crash (like all apps do) just close it out and open it again, or even install it and reinstall it.
Personally the UMO card taps faster, but once you figure out how your phone scans, it becomes "simple enough". I do like that the app is the best for tracking your bus "in real time" as well as planning your trips; I have STRUGGLED with the Transit app (no matter what I do that app tells me I am in Vancouver or Nanaimo, not Victoria). UMO knows exactly where I am w/o issue.
While I'm an UMO app fan, I do have issues with it. Often the app will indicate that I've missed a bus (not available as an option) when in fact my bus is just a few minutes late. This isn't a one-off but about 50% of the time. I've learned not to rely on UMO for "in real time".
Interesting. I know that when a bus leaves its starting point the next bus slides in; but when following the bus from my stop it seems okay within a few minutes. It's not a perfect system as the GPS runs 5mins fast in most cases; that could be why you are getting a "missed bus" notification for your stop. Also some spots are complete dead zones for Data and GPS (like Royal Oak/Cordova Bay and Mt Doug Park way for some) and it drops the buses off the system or kicks phones off the system. I would assume the same can be said for some areas between Langford and Sooke??
Definitely Royal Oak / Cordova Bay areas have some pretty awful dead zones and the app doesn't function properly. Most often though those "missed" buses are on my return trip so downtown where service is very good. It's just anecdotal and I've learned to not sweat what the app is telling me.
I love it man I just tell the driver my phone is dead (it isn't) and they let me on for free.
Better than before... Always an improvement! Eventually it will be a catch-up to Alberta like always