BC Transit has launched its electronic tap payment system, Umo, aboard buses in three more transit systems on Vancouver Island.
Pronounced “You-mo,” the tap payment system is now online in Port Alberni, Campbell River and the Comox Valley as of Dec. 6.
Riders can now pay for their fare by using a reloadable Umo card, or by using the free Umo app on their phones.
The reloadable cards can be purchased from vendors in the three communities. A list of vendor locations can be found on the BC Transit website.
With Umo now online in these three transit systems, BC Transit’s monthly pass will be replaced by a new “30-day pass.”
The company says the 30 days pass is an improvement for commuters because the passes will begin whenever they are purchased, and not at the beginning of every calendar month.
Umo is already online in several communities on Vancouver Island.
It was first introduced in B.C. in Victoria in August, followed by Nanaimo and the Cowichan Valley in November.
BC Transit says it plans to add Umo to dozens more communities in British Columbia and will roll out debit and credit tap payments onboard its buses in the future, though no firm date has been announced yet.
The entire Umo system cost $23.2 million to launch, with the federal government covering 50 per cent of the costs, the B.C. government providing 40 per cent, and local government partners funding the remaining 10 per cent.
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Adam Chan
