1,000 transit passes for low income seniors, people with disabilities cancelled by accident
Ministry is currently working to replace the passes
Around 1,000 B.C. bus passes for low income seniors and people with disabilities were mistakenly cancelled over the weekend due to a system error, according to TransLink.
In a written statement, Shane Simpson, minister of social development and poverty reduction, said the ministry is currently working to mail new Compass Cards to everyone affected.
"In the interim we have taken a number of steps to ensure people have access to transit. Ministry staff have been calling everyone affected and providing them with options," he said.
Transit officials have been told by TransLink to accept people with deactivated cards on buses and the SkyTrain, Simpson said on Thursday.
The statement said that people can also go to the TransLink Customer Centre at 590 Beatty Street in Vancouver to get a temporary card.
TransLink said the error was not a result of the Compass Card system.
According to the province's website, the B.C. Bus Pass Program provides transit passes to low-income seniors and people with disabilities "to assist eligible individuals to help them participate more fully in their communities."