Elferen Ordanza was first in line for the launch of TransLink’s new collectible trading cards at Waterfront station Friday morning. He arrived with his father at 5:30 a.m. “I think most of us are Pokemon fans or transit fans here in Vancouver, and so having something like this will be an addition to our collection,” said Ordanza. “I’m super excited. I have butterflies in my stomach.” Hundreds of people joined the line that snaked through the station and out the door in the hours leading up to the 11 a.m. release. “I’m not surprised,” said Logan Tobias. “When there was a SkyTrain Compass (card keychain), this line was much longer. So I kind of expected this.” There are five cards in the set that includes SkyTrain, SeaBus, West Coast Express and regular buses. The rarest card is the Mark 1 SkyTrain. “When you get to the front of the line, it’s going to be an envelope,” explained TransLink spokesperson Anita Bathe. “You’ve got to open it up, and it’s total surprise when it comes to what cards you are going to get.” A total of 800 three-card blind packs were given out at the 11 a.m. launch, and only 15 had a Mark 1 inside. “(Chances are) very slim I will get it in the pack I will get,” said Tobias. Being first in line paid off for Ordanza. He got a Mark 1. “I’m going to add it to my transit memorabilia, and I am going to cherish it forever,” he said. Most collectors had to be content with the more common cards. “I had high hopes, but these are just as good,” said Tobias, whose friend did score a Mark 1. The event wasn’t only fun for collectors, who immediately started trading the cards. It was good PR for TransLink, which is used to hearing complaints from riders. “We’ve got marketers who are really the brains behind all of this, and we’ve got amazing designers, and then we’ve got teams who are looking at how to promote this and how to really help the community, the public, connect with our brand,” said Bathe. TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn handed out all the cards, and then joined the action, opening his own blind envelope to a cheering crowd. ”This is so fun. It shows you exactly how passionate people are about transit in Vancouver, right? People are excited about it, they want more of this, and we want to encourage folks and encourage ridership,” said Quinn. “This is a great way to get people really pumped up about transit.” Single cards will be handed out at Car-Free Day events and the PNE Fair this summer. But collectors who lined up Friday morning got three-packs, and got them first. “When you get older, you can show these to your grandchildren and say, ‘Hey, I was here for the launch of the cards,’” said Gershom Poretz. “Even though I didn’t get a rare one, I am happy with what I have, because you have to be grateful for what you have.”
