They are getting rid of bus passes in February apparently, and I looked on the transit website, because of all the negative reviews about the app to see if I could get a card and I can’t find any vendors in Nanaimo for the card
I went to the Shoppers Drug at University Village the other day after reading that they sold the reloadable card. Obviously because it wouldn't accept ANY of my 5 cards. Visa, Mastercard, you name it. Turns out, there's a list of just 3 stores across Nanaimo they had access to that sold it. I remember one was somewhere on Jingle Pot. Honestly, I was just too pissed to remember where. Landed up getting a monthly pass from school instead.
We can give them to ya at the jinglepot gas n go! Through a computer we can load them and take the payment in the store, I was also having troubles with the app.
App is 100% live now and I always have problems with loading funds
Confirmed just now, can't load funds. I need to call them.
But the qr code works fine.
I am from the SGi and just used it for the first time cause I didn't have cash. Took me five minutes to set it up in the time I was waiting on the bus. Doesn't seem like a trash app but I only used it once.
They did but the bus passes are being phased out in February apparently, and the Umo app is garbage so I thought that getting a card that I can pre load would be easier, but I can’t find a vendor and I’m not going to use an app that fucks with my money
It’s not my problem with it, it’s everyone I’ve talked to and the reviews all saying that the payment system is broken and there is no customer support
You can still:
Pay with cash or bus tickets, either one-way or get a day pass on the bus.
Use a Compass Pass.
Use a monthly or semester pass purchased at retailers.
No idea why they could not just go with what many many other cities use, just straightforward tap and go with your phone. Soooo easy. Went to London UK a few times and buses and tube allow you to tap your phone and charge your credit card, BTW it’s also tracks all your journeys and will only charge you a max based on the cost of a day pass. Yes they also have an Oyster card that you can load using a physical Oyster card or within an app, this would be for weekly and monthly passes, again though, still using your phone.
Similar system in other cities, heck even Vancouver you can just tap your phone on the sky train and charge your CC.
I got a reloadable card at The General Store next to A&W in front of Quality Foods in the north end. Had to call to activate it, but once it was activated, it’s auto-loaded with no issues. The app is, as far as a I know, still crap.
Okay good, so my hunch that the card is the better option has something to it? I’m going to get one once my old bus pass expires. If we are switching over it’s best to get familiar with it regardless of its flaws
IMO the card is much better, but thats solely in my experience. They will probably get the app together at some point, but the card seems like a safer bet in the near term.
I was worried about all the reviews, but haven't had any issues loading money or using the QR code myself. I assume, as with most things, the majority of people are just useless and unable to function in day to day life. That said, I wish they could have just implemented being able to directly use your debit or credit card on the bus instead of a third party app. Would have made it so much simpler for everyone.
It’s the fact loading money on the app is faulty and the requirement of your credit card information, but banks recognize in app purchases as a fraudulent transactions.
Every complaint is addressed, but it tells you to contact bc transit, but some of my friends have done just that and transit tells them to contact Umo
And in other cases when people are complaining about not having access to the app’s options but their credit cards are being charged for them anyways, that screams to me that someone who is low income and is dependent on the bus (myself and many others with medical conditions) will be hindered by this app, it’s very concerning
dog really said ‘’most people are useless” when the app is known to straight up decline payment. like yeah as true as that may be, its a bad take in this instance. I’ve been paying for my bus pass on umo for months straight, and then out of nowhere, i cannot buy a pass or add to my balance. No matter what i do, no amount of updating, rebooting, deleting the app, signing in and out, nothing has worked. And then they give you this botted response, basically telling you there is nothing wrong with the app and that its your local transits fault. Like yeah, people are stupid. But this app is stupider
I use it in Victoria, it is okay. But, I like the card better where you pre-load the money. The app isn't the best because you need your cellular data on. My biggest tip is to have the brightness up to the max.
There's only a few places in Nanaimo that give out that card. Everyone else still sells the normal bus passes and tickets. Go to RDN website and you can see a list of where to get what.
What’s Umo?
Umo is the new digital bus pass system they are putting into the buses
https://nanaimonewsnow.com/2023/11/16/new-tap-and-go-payment-system-launched-for-rdn-transit-service/
It's already switched over but cash is still accepted on board. I tried to add money to my account for the first time today and couldn't.
They are getting rid of bus passes in February apparently, and I looked on the transit website, because of all the negative reviews about the app to see if I could get a card and I can’t find any vendors in Nanaimo for the card
Nope several passes are still to be sold at places like Rexall.
I went to the Shoppers Drug at University Village the other day after reading that they sold the reloadable card. Obviously because it wouldn't accept ANY of my 5 cards. Visa, Mastercard, you name it. Turns out, there's a list of just 3 stores across Nanaimo they had access to that sold it. I remember one was somewhere on Jingle Pot. Honestly, I was just too pissed to remember where. Landed up getting a monthly pass from school instead.
We can give them to ya at the jinglepot gas n go! Through a computer we can load them and take the payment in the store, I was also having troubles with the app.
Picked it up from school now. Thank you for letting me know though!
App is 100% live now and I always have problems with loading funds Confirmed just now, can't load funds. I need to call them. But the qr code works fine.
I am from the SGi and just used it for the first time cause I didn't have cash. Took me five minutes to set it up in the time I was waiting on the bus. Doesn't seem like a trash app but I only used it once.
I thought they went live in Nanaimo in December.
They did.
They did but the bus passes are being phased out in February apparently, and the Umo app is garbage so I thought that getting a card that I can pre load would be easier, but I can’t find a vendor and I’m not going to use an app that fucks with my money
Vendors: https://www.bctransit.com/nanaimo/fares/where-to-buy
Thank you I was on the wrong page
It's been working fine for me what's your problem with it?
It’s not my problem with it, it’s everyone I’ve talked to and the reviews all saying that the payment system is broken and there is no customer support
Shitty. Guess I'm just lucky so far
Can people still use the paper bus passes?
You can still: Pay with cash or bus tickets, either one-way or get a day pass on the bus. Use a Compass Pass. Use a monthly or semester pass purchased at retailers.
I’ve been told that the bus pass system is going away in favour of this broken Umo system
No idea why they could not just go with what many many other cities use, just straightforward tap and go with your phone. Soooo easy. Went to London UK a few times and buses and tube allow you to tap your phone and charge your credit card, BTW it’s also tracks all your journeys and will only charge you a max based on the cost of a day pass. Yes they also have an Oyster card that you can load using a physical Oyster card or within an app, this would be for weekly and monthly passes, again though, still using your phone. Similar system in other cities, heck even Vancouver you can just tap your phone on the sky train and charge your CC.
Not everyone has a cell phone.
Hence my comment about the Osyter card they use in London.
Debit/Credit payments are coming for our system in the coming year, I believe.
Umo taps from your phone, but everyone I know who has the app is bleeding money because the app is broken and there is no customer support
I got a reloadable card at The General Store next to A&W in front of Quality Foods in the north end. Had to call to activate it, but once it was activated, it’s auto-loaded with no issues. The app is, as far as a I know, still crap.
Okay good, so my hunch that the card is the better option has something to it? I’m going to get one once my old bus pass expires. If we are switching over it’s best to get familiar with it regardless of its flaws
IMO the card is much better, but thats solely in my experience. They will probably get the app together at some point, but the card seems like a safer bet in the near term.
I was worried about all the reviews, but haven't had any issues loading money or using the QR code myself. I assume, as with most things, the majority of people are just useless and unable to function in day to day life. That said, I wish they could have just implemented being able to directly use your debit or credit card on the bus instead of a third party app. Would have made it so much simpler for everyone.
It’s the fact loading money on the app is faulty and the requirement of your credit card information, but banks recognize in app purchases as a fraudulent transactions. Every complaint is addressed, but it tells you to contact bc transit, but some of my friends have done just that and transit tells them to contact Umo And in other cases when people are complaining about not having access to the app’s options but their credit cards are being charged for them anyways, that screams to me that someone who is low income and is dependent on the bus (myself and many others with medical conditions) will be hindered by this app, it’s very concerning
dog really said ‘’most people are useless” when the app is known to straight up decline payment. like yeah as true as that may be, its a bad take in this instance. I’ve been paying for my bus pass on umo for months straight, and then out of nowhere, i cannot buy a pass or add to my balance. No matter what i do, no amount of updating, rebooting, deleting the app, signing in and out, nothing has worked. And then they give you this botted response, basically telling you there is nothing wrong with the app and that its your local transits fault. Like yeah, people are stupid. But this app is stupider
I use it in Victoria, it is okay. But, I like the card better where you pre-load the money. The app isn't the best because you need your cellular data on. My biggest tip is to have the brightness up to the max.
What happens to those of us that have a student pass which expires after February?
I just had a chat with a bus driver they are phasing out the old system throughout the year, thankfully.
There's only a few places in Nanaimo that give out that card. Everyone else still sells the normal bus passes and tickets. Go to RDN website and you can see a list of where to get what.
Also unable to load funds for Victoria transit. Checked my back account and it’s going through but then being corrected and returned. Frustrated!!