National

Transit Wristbands Sell Out In Vancouver, Posted For Hefty Markups Online

The Canadian Press, 04 Dec, 2018 11:16 AM

VANCOUVER — New wristbands that allow riders to pay for public transit are proving to be hot commodities in Vancouver.

Transit authority TransLink sold out of its Compass wristbands soon after they were released Monday and the wristbands popped up on online classifieds sites selling at hefty markups.

TransLink made 2,000 wristbands available for a $6 refundable deposit each, however some ads on Craigslist have listed the bands for resale at between $50 and $150.

#Compass wristbands on sale attracted scalpers hawking them for $30 a band so Translink cashiers are limiting sales of adult bands to 2 per customer — long lines pic.twitter.com/BfJkun6NFK
— Yvette Brend (@ybrend) December 3, 2018

Many of the postings have already been removed from the classifieds website.

The wristbands operate the same way as Compass cards, which can be loaded with money and tapped at buses and at train stations.

TransLink says it is looking at ordering more wristbands to sell early next year.

A huge lineup just to get a better transit product - a wrist band Compass Card - oh why oh why did @TransLink only produce such a limited amount? pic.twitter.com/K8aZTnKOUa
— Dale Bracewell (@Dale_Bracewell) December 3, 2018

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