New to Vancouver? New to transit? ASK ME!

February 5, 2010

Whether you’re a visitor or born-and-bred, dyed-in-the-wool Vancouverite, navigating a complex transportation system can be a daunting experience. Whom do you ask? Where do you turn?

TransLink’s long-term customers are coming to the rescue with a friendly invitation:

Members of the Employer Pass Program have been invited to participate in our Friendly is Universal program to help make every transit visitor’s experience during the Games a great one for the people they meet on the buses, SeaBus, West Coast Express and SkyTrain. So far, 7,000 requests have come in for the bright red “ASK ME” buttons, so newcomers to Metro Vancouver’s public transportation system will have information ready at hand.

More than 20,000 people are on the Employer Pass Program, in which companies that enroll 25 employees or more provide annual passes at a discount of 15 per cent (some businesses support the program by subsidizing it even further) on a payroll deduction plan. For more information, call 604-453-4500.

The ASK ME initiative is just one way that TransLink and its family of companies and customers are making public transit welcoming to visitors during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Blue-coated Transit Hosts will be positioned at SkyTrain stations, helping people as needed. For people in need of language assistance, the hosts and SkyTrain Attendants have access to the Provincial Language Service, which can provide interpretation in up to 150 different languages. Name tags worn by attendants on the Canada Line will wear name tags listing any additional languages they speak, and the Customer Information line (604-953-3333) will be open 20 hours a day – 5:30-1:30am – to give personal service to customers needing a hand.

Whether wearing “official” buttons or clothing or just in the course of daily activities, TransLink encourages everyone to extend a welcoming hand to our visitors for this once-in-a-lifetime event, and make sure they take home great memories of our region.