Fare Transfers¶
Main files: fare_leg_rules.txt, fare_transfer_rules.txt
Example: Translink (Vancouver)
Reminder
Fare Transfers is used to define rules applicable when transferring between legs. The journey’s total cost is derived from the fare products applied to individual legs and to the transfers connecting them. For more information revisit the Features section in the Introduction page.
Reminder
For TransLink:
- Transfers are valid for 90 minutes after fare validation.
- Bus-to-bus transfers within this time period are free.
- Transfers within the same fare zone number (as supported by the original fare) are also free.
- If the rider transfers to a zone with a higher fare, they only pay the difference, known as an AddFare.
Note
This section includes examples for Contactless fares only. To support other fare media types, duplicate the relevant fare_products.txt rows and update the amount and fare_media_id fields accordingly.
Create transfer fare products¶
Transfer fare products represent the cost of transfers that are not free. Free transfers do not have to be created. Transfer fare products are created in fare_products.txt as follows:
- Fill the fare_product_id column with a unique ID identifying the fare product.
- Fill the fare_product_name column with the rider-facing name of the fare product (e.g., Zone 1 to Zone 2 Transfer Upgrade, Bus to Zone 1 Transfer Upgrade).
- Fill the amount and currency columns with the cost of the transfer and its currency (currency codes).
- Fill the fare_media_id column with the fare media where this fare product can be stored and used.
- This is a Foreign Key referencing fare_media_id in
fare_media.txt(Fare Media). - Multiple fare media can be associated with the same fare product, potentially at different prices.
- An empty fare_media_id means that the fare media is unknown.
- This is a Foreign Key referencing fare_media_id in
Consult the documentation for more details on Fare Products.
In Translink’s case, three transfer fare products are created.
1_zone_to_2_zone_upgraderepresents the cost of transferring from a 1-zone fare to a 2-zone fare. Which is CAD 4.65 - CAD 3.20 = CAD 1.45 (or CAD 9.65 - CAD 8.20 = CAD 1.45 for legs that start from Sea Island)2_zone_to_3_zone_upgraderepresents the cost of transferring from a 2-zone fare to a 2-zone fare. Which is CAD 6.35 - CAD 4.65 = CAD 1.70 (or CAD 11.35 - CAD 9.65 = CAD 1.70 for legs that start from Sea Island)1_zone_to_3_zone_upgraderepresents the cost of transferring from a 1-zone fare to a 2-zone fare. Which is CAD 6.35 - CAD 3.20 = CAD 3.15
fare_products.txt
| fare_product_id | fare_product_name | amount | currency | fare_media_id |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| … | … | … | … | … |
| 1_zone_to_2_zone_upgrade | 1 zone to 2 zones upgrade | 1,45 | CAD | contactless |
| 2_zone_to_3_zone_upgrade | 2 zones to 3 zones upgrade | 1.70 | CAD | contactless |
| 1_zone_to_3_zone_upgrade | 1 zone to 3 zones upgrade | 3.15 | CAD | contactless |
Create transfer rules¶
Transfers rules allow the possible transfers to be applied to eligible legs of a journey. They are created in fare_transfer_rules.txt as follows:
- Fill from_leg_group_id and to_leg_group_id.
- These are Foreign Keys referencing leg_group_id from
fare_leg_rules.txt. They reference respectively the pre-transfer leg group and the post-transfer leg group.
- These are Foreign Keys referencing leg_group_id from
- Fill duration_limit to the number of seconds for which the transfer remains valid, if there is no time limit, leave empty.
Fill duration_limit_type If duration_limit is not empty. duration_limit_type describes how to calculate the bounds of duration_limit. - Fill fare_transfer_type to explain how the fare is calculated.
- Fill transfer_count if there is a limit on the number of transfers. This field is required for transfers where from_leg_group_id=to_leg_group_id and forbidden otherwise.
Consult the documentation to learn more about the different values for transfer rules.
In this example, multiple transfers are defined between all possible leg groups of Translink. All transfers are valid for 5400 seconds (180 minutes). The duration_limit_type is set to 1, since the transfer time starts when the rider departs on any route in the flat_fare_leg fare leg and ends when they depart on a different fare leg.
The fare_transfer_type is set to 0. This is also called an A + AB transfer, where the rider pays the first leg fare (A) plus a transfer fare to B (AB). Finally, transfer_count is set to -1 since there is no limit on the number of transfers permitted.
fare_transfer_rules.txt
| from_leg_group_id | from_leg_group_id | duration_limit | duration_limit_type | transfer_count | fare_transfer_type | fare_product_id |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| flat_fare_leg | flat_fare_leg | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | |
| ZN1_ZN1 | flat_fare_leg | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | |
| flat_fare_leg | ZN1_ZN1 | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | |
| ZN1_ZN2 | flat_fare_leg | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | |
| flat_fare_leg | ZN1_ZN2 | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 1_zone_to_2_zone_upgrade |
| ZN2_ZN2 | flat_fare_leg | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | |
| flat_fare_leg | ZN2_ZN2 | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | |
| … | … | … | … | … | … | … |
| ZN1_ZN1 | ZN1_ZN2 | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 1_zone_to_2_zone_upgrade |
| ZN1_ZN1 | ZN1_ZN3 | 5400 | 1 | 0 | 1_zone_to_3_zone_upgrade | |
| ZN1_ZN2 | ZN2_ZN2 | 5400 | 1 | 0 | ||
| ZN1_ZN2 | ZN1_ZN2 | 5400 | 1 | 0 | ||
| ZN1_ZN2 | ZN2_ZN3 | 5400 | 1 | 0 | 2_zone_to_3_zone_upgrade | |
| … | … | … | … | … | … |
Enable Nonconsecutive Transfers¶
Warning
Nonconsecutive transfers are still under development and not yet part of the official specification. However, they have been included in this guide to provide a comprehensive overview of the Fare implementation for Translink.
For more details on nonconsecutive transfers, refer to the associated pull request and proposal.
Nonconsecutive transfers are required when one leg of a journey affects a later, non-adjacent leg. When nonconsecutive transfers are enabled for a transfer rule, that transfer rule can be applied between both consecutive and nonconsecutive legs. This ensures that all possible transfer combinations are considered.
Nonconsecutive transfers are required when one leg of a journey affects a later, non-adjacent leg.
Nonconsecutive transfers are enabled in fare_transfer_rules.txt as follows:
- Fill nonconsecutive_transfers_allowed with 1 if the transfer rule can occur between nonconsecutive legs, otherwise set it to 0 or leave it empty.
Reminder
Translink has a validity window of 90min. e.g. If a rider starts a journey from Zone 1 to Zone 2 (2-zone fare paid), then goes from Zone 2 to Zone 2 (0 transfer fee paid), then finally from Zone 2 back to Zone 1, the rider only pays the first 2-zone fare.
In Translink’s system, a rider might take the following 80-minute journey across various services:
-
Leg 1: From Lonsdale Quay (Zone 2) to Waterfront Station (Zone 1) via the Seabus — this requires a 2-zone fare.
-
Leg 2: From Waterfront Station (Zone 1) to Commercial-Broadway Station (Zone 1) via SkyTrain — this requires a 1-zone fare.
-
Leg 3: From Commercial-Broadway Station (Zone 1) to Lake City Way Station (Zone 2) via SkyTrain — this requires a 2-zone fare.
The fare for Leg 1 should cover all 2-zone trips between Zone 1 and Zone 2 within a 90-minute window. Therefore, the total cost is calculated as:
- Leg 1 (2-zone fare) + transfer from Leg 1 to Leg 2 + transfer from Leg 1 to Leg 3 = CAD 4.65 + CAD 0.00 + CAD 0.00 = CAD 4.65
This calculation works by setting nonconsecutive_transfers_allowed to 1 in fare_transfer_rules.txt, ensuring that the zones crossed in the first leg influence subsequent transfers across all legs in a multi-leg journey.
Without enabling nonconsecutive transfers, the fare would be incorrectly calculated as:
- Leg 1 + transfer from Leg 1 to Leg 2 + transfer from Leg 2 to Leg 3 = CAD 4.65 + CAD 0.00 + CAD 1.65 = CAD 6.30
The second fares would not reflect how fares are intended to work in practice. Thus, enabling nonconsecutive transfers ensures accurate fare calculations by considering all valid transfer possibilities.
fare_transfer_rules.txt
| from_leg_group_id | from_leg_group_id | duration_limit | duration_limit_type | transfer_count | fare_transfer_type | fare_product_id | nonconsecutive_transfers_allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| flat_fare_leg | flat_fare_leg | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 1 | |
| ZN1_ZN1 | flat_fare_leg | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 1 | |
| flat_fare_leg | ZN1_ZN1 | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 1 | |
| ZN1_ZN2 | flat_fare_leg | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 1 | |
| flat_fare_leg | ZN1_ZN2 | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 1_zone_to_2_zone_upgrade | 1 |
| ZN2_ZN2 | flat_fare_leg | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 1 | |
| flat_fare_leg | ZN2_ZN2 | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 1 | |
| … | … | … | … | … | … | … | 1 |
| ZN1_ZN1 | ZN1_ZN2 | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 1_zone_to_2_zone_upgrade | 1 |
| ZN1_ZN1 | ZN1_ZN3 | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 1_zone_to_3_zone_upgrade | 1 |
| ZN1_ZN2 | ZN2_ZN2 | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 1 | |
| ZN1_ZN2 | ZN1_ZN2 | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 1 | |
| ZN1_ZN2 | ZN2_ZN3 | 5400 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 2_zone_to_3_zone_upgrade | 1 |
| … | … | … | … | -1 | … | … | 1 |