I agree with jlousa. I know it sucks. My sister got a ticket after using a concession card when she was in High school. She hadn't realized that you needed a "Go" card and had just moved into the Metro Vancouver area. They paid the ticket, but it was a tough lesson learned.
From where to where were you travelling? It
DOES make a difference where you were on the line and in which direction, as to whether you get a ticket or not. Also which zone the ticket was issued in and which zone you're in at that time.
Saying all that, they probably gave you a ticket because they figured you bought your ticket second-hand. Although 90 minutes isn't a long time, "most" direct trips that have skytrain as part of their journey can be accomplished in that time, and you were on SkyTrain I assume.
The only time I have trouble with it is if I
make a stop somewhere or try to make a
quick round-trip... then I'm pushing the limits of 90 minutes.
The reason you won't get a ticket (in general) on a bus, is because
- Wait times for buses are up to 30 minutes at some stops (The drivers realize this)
- Bus trips are "usually" short
- The Bus Driver can offer lenience on a case by case basis
- The Driver can asking how far you're going and even let you on if your ticket is expired!
If you START on the bus and go to SkyTrain, a transfer is not longer than 10 minutes. Given that the SkyTrain's maximum travel time is about 42 minutes, usually, you'll be fine. Unless you're travelling from Aldergrove to Downtown Vancouver, 90 minutes will generally get you where you want to go... or at least get you onto the final bus in that time.
In addition If you START on SkyTrain, the
ticket is actually about 95 minutes, I believe... as a few minutes are added for wait time on the platform.
The LONGEST Bus/Train trip that I can think of is the 502 from Aldergrove, transferring to the Expo Line. The Bus trip alone is 71 minutes. The train trip is 34 minutes... which is a total of 110 minutes with a 5 minute transfer.
That would put you
20 minutes over just as you were arriving at Waterfront. However, that's also more than 60km for $2.50 (off-peak) or about 4 cents per kilometer.
I think perhaps 3-zone tickets should be extended to 120minutes... but for inexpensive off-peak travel and travel within 2-zones... 90 minutes should be adequate.
BTW, the absolute longest I can think of would be
Aldergrove to Horseshoe bay (
172 minutes (2:52) ) which is justifiably 2 trips, given that you're essentially
travelling 5 zones. This would also be covered with a 120-minute 3-zone pass (to Lonsdale) and an additional 2-zone 90 minute pass to Horseshoe Bay.
It's much like a parking ticket... if you overstay a meter by 10 minutes, you won't get much sympathy from the officer... you'll still get the ticket. Not realizing that you ran out of time on the meter won't work in court.
Yes, it sucks to be on the receiving end, but in the end, as unfortunate as it is... the expiry time is still the expiry time.
Remember too... that when turnstiles are in place, I'd image you won't be able to get OUT of a station without upgrading (that's how it works in Japan anyhow).