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Metrolinx: Presto Fare Card

royalrivers said:
As part of the deal with funding the new Kitchener LRT, PRESTO is supposed to be on those LRT cars.
Click to expand...

This is not quite correct. The Waterloo Region LRT will require a smart-card system, and Grand River Transit would implement an integrated system across the bus and LRT network before the LRT launch in 2017. It has not been fixed as Presto. By fall of this year it should be clear whether they will go with Presto or do an open RFP.
 
A brief update: The card was locked so I paid $4 (forgot to get quarters in my change) to take the bus about 3km to my stop. While on the bus I called the Presto number and was on hold for 40 minutes. The lady I spoke with was real nice, but she didn't realize that Viva machines had a balance checker option which caused a bit of a roadblock. Once that was sorted out, she told me that it is best to give up to 48 hours but processed a ticket to be reimbursed since my balance check took place over 26 hours after my order and had yet to be processed.

About a week later, I still have not been contacted.

If I don't hear back, if my card locks again, you can be damn sure I will be getting a free ride on the Viva until I get it sorted out. I'm also saving the web page of my order confirmation, so if I get ticketed I can show the judge that the Presto system failed me despite me following the steps to a tee, thus making me unable to pay my fare.

This still raises the question as to who gets the money from unlocking Presto cards, and how much has been made from it. As is, the whole system almost seems rigged to lock user's cards. The need to load online 24-48 hours before use, the fact that a fare is deducted before any load takes place, even the reporting of the balance on the website is grossly out of date which could lead someone to believe that they have more money on their card than they actually have - thus causing them to miss a load. The whole system seems both customer unfriendly and rigged in favour of whoever collects unlocking fees.

My next emails will not just be to Presto, but the Ministry, my local MPP, and the Provincial Ombudsman...
 
Electrify said:
As is, the whole system almost seems rigged to lock user's cards.
Click to expand...

I feel your pain but I doubt anyone "rigged" the system....just did not design it very well. That said, there does seem to be a bias towards encouraging "auto-load" as this seems to happen on the fly without hitches and with cards in that situation never getting to zero....the real money being made is probably on the "float".

g
 
mpd618 said:
This is not quite correct. The Waterloo Region LRT will require a smart-card system, and Grand River Transit would implement an integrated system across the bus and LRT network before the LRT launch in 2017. It has not been fixed as Presto. By fall of this year it should be clear whether they will go with Presto or do an open RFP.
Click to expand...

The question I have is if this is so why does one region/municipality get to receive provincial money in support of their transit expansion and then "choose" their smart card system and another (Toronto/TTC) have to deal with a threat of pulling transit expansion funding if they don't roll out Presto?

There may be a reason....it is just not clear to me.
 
TOareaFan said:
The question I have is if this is so why does one region/municipality get to receive provincial money in support of their transit expansion and then "choose" their smart card system and another (Toronto/TTC) have to deal with a threat of pulling transit expansion funding if they don't roll out Presto?

There may be a reason....it is just not clear to me.
Click to expand...
Perhaps it's to do with the magnitude of provincial funding.
KW got $300 million.
Toronto got $8,000 million.

Further, Toronto has played the smart card angle a lot more aggressively than KW. Toronto very openly and aggressively courted non-Presto options, as an obvious bargaining chip in order to get Presto at a deeply subsidized rate. From the various news articles posted here, I remember that general sentiment from the TTC was very anti-Presto for some time. The TTC knows that it's the Big Dog for transit, and would clearly be the jewel in the Presto crown. They tried to play that for handouts. I am unsurprised that the province would fight back.

KW meanwhile is just quietly investigating the options. A relatively small player in a peripheral market. They are asking for no special deals. They are simply running a standard amount of due diligence.

I fully expect KW to go with Presto. No matter the price difference, the Region has some firm heads on their shoulders and they will understand the benefit of using a system that is fully integrated with the region.
 
At the Metrolinx meeting, there was a report on PRESTO, available at this link.

As the TTC new streetcars arrive in fall 2013, they will be PRESTO-enabled and ready for introduction into revenue service for April 1, 2014.
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That little paragraph means to me that PRESTO will be targetted for the 510 Spadina and 511 Bathurst on April 1, 2014, when the new low-floor streetcars will be rolling (allegedly).
 
Was visiting a friend in East Toronto for her birthday, and for kicks asked Google the best way home. Interestingly enough, it said to take the GO from Danforth to Union, and then the Barrie line up to Maple.

I asked the attendant at Danforth station if I should tap off and on again at Union, or just tap off at Maple, and she said to do the former. I even managed to ask the train driver at Union which confirmed this information.

At Union I followed this advice, and it came up with ALREADY TAPPED when I tried to tap back on. I even pressed the override and correction buttons to try and fix it, but no luck.

Currently on board the train now, so I'm guessing I'm getting a free ride back to York Region. If I see an inspector, I'll tell him what happened and will be fighting any ticket I might get.
 
Well, I'm a fucking retard... -_-

I decided to get off at Rutherford since I needed to pick up some things, and figured it would be easier to find something at 16th and Yonge instead of Major Mackenzie and Yonge. Also according to Google a bus would only be about a 5 minute wait.

So at Rutherford, in a momentary laps of reason, I decided to press the override button and tap. The only thing I can assume is that I thought that if perhaps it did pick up a tap at Union, it might clear it. As for pressing the override button, I have no god damn clue. Perhaps I thought it would do nothing since I don't have a default set?

Anyways I didn't want to miss my bus, which on weekends I have to walk across a parking lot to get to, so I didn't go back to try and correct. Of course the bus was 10 minutes late, but whatever.

When I tapped on the YRT bus it said I had $14 left on my card. I did the math and I should have about $19 left, so I guess it took the $5 when I tapped with override. I also assume that it will take an additional $5 since I cannot tap off in Barrie.

I called Presto up, and the rep said I had to call GO. Hopefully they will understand the situation and credit me back, especially since I tapped on a YRT bus 15 minutes after tapping at Rutherford, but I can kiss my free trip on the Barrie line goodbye now. :(
 
Electrify said:
Was visiting a friend in East Toronto for her birthday, and for kicks asked Google the best way home. Interestingly enough, it said to take the GO from Danforth to Union, and then the Barrie line up to Maple.

I asked the attendant at Danforth station if I should tap off and on again at Union, or just tap off at Maple, and she said to do the former. I even managed to ask the train driver at Union which confirmed this information.

At Union I followed this advice, and it came up with ALREADY TAPPED when I tried to tap back on. I even pressed the override and correction buttons to try and fix it, but no luck.

Currently on board the train now, so I'm guessing I'm getting a free ride back to York Region. If I see an inspector, I'll tell him what happened and will be fighting any ticket I might get.
Click to expand...

They're wrong. Your tap at your starting stop, and you tap on the stop you are leaving unless your on a bus. If you have a default. you hit override then tap on at your starting stop.

Electrify said:
Well, I'm a fucking retard... -_-

I decided to get off at Rutherford since I needed to pick up some things, and figured it would be easier to find something at 16th and Yonge instead of Major Mackenzie and Yonge. Also according to Google a bus would only be about a 5 minute wait.

So at Rutherford, in a momentary laps of reason, I decided to press the override button and tap. The only thing I can assume is that I thought that if perhaps it did pick up a tap at Union, it might clear it. As for pressing the override button, I have no god damn clue. Perhaps I thought it would do nothing since I don't have a default set?

Anyways I didn't want to miss my bus, which on weekends I have to walk across a parking lot to get to, so I didn't go back to try and correct. Of course the bus was 10 minutes late, but whatever.

When I tapped on the YRT bus it said I had $14 left on my card. I did the math and I should have about $19 left, so I guess it took the $5 when I tapped with override. I also assume that it will take an additional $5 since I cannot tap off in Barrie.

I called Presto up, and the rep said I had to call GO. Hopefully they will understand the situation and credit me back, especially since I tapped on a YRT bus 15 minutes after tapping at Rutherford, but I can kiss my free trip on the Barrie line goodbye now. :(
Click to expand...

From the sounds of it, when you tapped at rutherford again, it took the minimum amount thinking your "starting" your trip again. When you tapped on YRT, it confirmed it was going to take the minimum amount, then on top deduct your YRT fare which should be 75 cents
 
Last edited:
That's right, it should have been only 75 cents! The heat must be getting to me, cause my brain really ain't working or something.

So do you think it will take off another $5 tomorrow since from Rutherford to Barrie is about $10, or that the YRT tap will cancel it out? I'm going to take my bike to work tomorrow, despite needing repairs, just so I can avoid using my Presto card until everything is sorted out.

I'm quickly concluding that unless you are a regular rider, Presto is more trouble than it is worth. During the school year it is great since I don't have to worry about getting more tickets or anything with the autoload, but if you take transit irregularly it is a pain in the ass. This is especially true if you are using a system which is only partially subscribed to it like YRT, since they don't have the support network in place to deal with issues like GO does.
 
Electrify said:
That's right, it should have been only 75 cents! The heat must be getting to me, cause my brain really ain't working or something.

So do you think it will take off another $5 tomorrow since from Rutherford to Barrie is about $10, or that the YRT tap will cancel it out? I'm going to take my bike to work tomorrow, despite needing repairs, just so I can avoid using my Presto card until everything is sorted out.

I'm quickly concluding that unless you are a regular rider, Presto is more trouble than it is worth. During the school year it is great since I don't have to worry about getting more tickets or anything with the autoload, but if you take transit irregularly it is a pain in the ass. This is especially true if you are using a system which is only partially subscribed to it like YRT, since they don't have the support network in place to deal with issues like GO does.
Click to expand...

The YRT trip should cancel out the go ride.
 
mpd618 said:
This is not quite correct. The Waterloo Region LRT will require a smart-card system, and Grand River Transit would implement an integrated system across the bus and LRT network before the LRT launch in 2017. It has not been fixed as Presto. By fall of this year it should be clear whether they will go with Presto or do an open RFP.
Click to expand...

I am only going by what was reported in the Waterloo Record....
 
An update: my math was incorrect (surprise, surprise...), and YRT did only take off 75 cents. Fortunately as epcjay said, it appears the bus tap canceled out the potential of charging my card up to Barrie. Though I could call GO for a refund, I decided not to. When you factor in my fare from Danforth to Union and the extra $4.80, it ends up not being that much more than if I had done it properly (tap at Danforth and Rutherford only).

Still waiting to hear from Presto regarding my load not being available after 24 hours though. I think I will try messaging them on Facebook and Twitter before I take it up a level though...
 
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