Metrolinx: Presto Fare Card

[epcjay]

mm...the proper cost would have been $6.13 + .75 for YRT.

Im guessing you paid 4.56 (danforth to union) then union to Rutherford 4.80 + .75?

 

[DKsan]

Will post to both but...

Brampton Transit just announced they will stop selling physical passes and stop accepting them and paper tickets by January 1, 2014, and will instead move completely to Presto. The only exception will be special tickets and the GTA Weekly Pass.
Elimination of Paper Passes

 

[TOareaFan]

Just another little Presto customer service glitch.......so, unlike every other service/product that I know of when you have a automatic payment plan....the Presto system does not send out an email (even though they/it has your email address) reminding you that "the credit card we have on file is expiring soon" so please log in and update the system....no, rather, this modern system does the following:

1) keeps the old matured credit card on file
2) tries to put a payment through
3) when the payment is rejected it puts a "pending cancellation" order/notice on the file
4) keeps debiting your purse as you use the system

This is where it can go either way......a) it takes you into a negative balance if you don't notice it (which I suspect is what would happen to most regular users) ....or b) if you do notice it and log in to see why your purse is not autoloading..you see this red box saying "your request to cancel your autoload is pending"....and you can't do anything...can't cancel the "request"....can't set up a new auto load....can't do anything but call the very helpful customer service staff...who treat you like an idiot while you hear them make a few key strokes...then they ask you to log out and log back in (really giving the impression all will be fixed)...when you say "it still says the same thing" they will tell you "of course it does....now, the next time you tap on and off, it will cancel your current auto load, then wait 24 hours and you can log on and set up a new one".

This system was designed in the 21st century by people who claim to know how to do this stuff?

 

[epcjay]

I run errands with go bus once in a while, and on presto, it would charge me one trip only for going there and return within 3 hours. The presto machine hung on one of my trips last week when I was getting off the bus, and the driver says not to worry, when you return, it will restart your trip.

On my return trip, I got charged for another trip. I called go transit to complain, and they told me that the system is not suppose to only charge for one trip cause starting and return is suppose to be two separate trips charges. With that being said, I can no longer complain, but my starting trip did not deduct the right amount anyways cause I couldn't tap off so she transferred me to customer relations to correct my "trip" cost for the first trip and I asked this new person the same question about trips and cost. She essentially told me the same thing, but she also said she knows this is a bug and they don't know how to fix it.

LOL.

 

[LNahid2000]

^I love the round trip "bug"! I often need to go to the suburbs to run an errand and will be back downtown within 2.5 hours and Presto only charges me one fare plus a second fare minus 4.85. Ends up being much cheaper to take GO than TTC + YRT.

 

[Electrify]

A slight update on my Presto frustration: A couple of weeks ago I noticed the northbound Major Mackenzie Viva stop's Presto reader was out of service. In fact, it was out of service for several days. So many days in fact, I actually notified YRT and Presto about it over Twitter because I was feeling guilty about getting so many free rides.

I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt that it was having problems receiving updated balance updates, so they took it out of service till they could straighten it out. The free rides I enjoyed more than makes up for the $1.75 you have to spend to unlock your card.

Still, it is frustrating that since they know of so many problems with the system, they make it such an onus on the customer to get anything back from unlocking their card when it is their system which failed. I work at Loblaws, and our new PC Plus program has a surprisingly high rate of failing to add points. However, because they are aware that this is new tech if you call them up, they add the points no questions asked. As I said I'm letting this one slip, but if I didn't I was about to contact the media and my local political representatives because I had proof that their system screwed up, yet I was given no recourse as to get refunded for the unlocking fee - at least through traditional channels. Hell, I have a customer who is on AM640 and Sun TV and I am sure he would love a lead to turn Presto into the next eHealth.

With no return to email, phone calls, or even tweets, I'm giving Presto an F for customer service - something transit agencies in the GTA have been trying to improve over the last few years.

 

[nfitz]

Just another little Presto customer service glitch.......so, unlike every other service/product that I know of when you have a automatic payment plan....the Presto system does not send out an email (even though they/it has your email address) reminding you that "the credit card we have on file is expiring soon" so please log in and update the system...

I just went through all this when my credit card just expired. Presto certainly wasn't the only one that did this. Neither does CAA, the Toronto Star or the Globe and Mail. CAA goes one step further, and charges the card anyway ... and it magically goes through ... they did this 2 years in a row the last time my card expired! I guess it's not too complicated to add 4 years to the expiry date ...

The one thing I've been asking them, is do I have to tap on within 30 days if I change the expiry date. I don't think so ... as presumably the card information isn't on the Presto card, and they only access the card info when they try and process the transaction. (with 3 cards, I did have to enter the card information 3 times ... even though they are all in the same account now ...).

It's certainly worth a query to Presto on why they don't do this.

 

[muller877]

In the Metrolinx reports for June, one of next quarters objectives was to complete the PRESTO/TTC project plan. Now that the quarter is almost over, does anyone know if this has been completed? And when PRESTO card readers will rollout to various subway stops?

http://www.metrolinx.com/en/docs/pdf/board_agenda/20130627/20130627_BoardMtg_PRESTO_Report_EN.pdf

For rollout I was wondering if they would go from high to low frequency services (subway, streetcar, high volume bus routes, etc), based on when major repairs are scheduled or some random manner that is nonsensical.

 

[innsertnamehere]

I like how I will be able to use my Toronto PRESTO in Ottawa. maybe get some VIA integration with it, and you could have a great working system.

 

[khris]

They have to bring the card into 2013 first. The simple things like instant reloading from an Interac transaction for example.

 

[Bamako]

They have to bring the card into 2013 first. The simple things like instant reloading from an Interac transaction for example.

This is basically impossible due to the way the system is designed. When you do an online load, the card isn't told its new balance like it is when you take it to an agent that has the writer. The readers rely on the card's balance or a copy of the database which is synced to it once a day at the beginning. Instant reloads could be possible if the bus/reader could make requests to the central database as someone taps, but there's a lot of practical constraints in the way of this (eg do you really want it to take 10+s to verify a tap, how do you make your presto comm link not spotty, etc)

 

[Komiksulo]

I like how I will be able to use my Toronto PRESTO in Ottawa. maybe get some VIA integration with it, and you could have a great working system.

They need to encourage every transit system that link with GO to use it. Peterborough, Kitchener, Barrie, Niagara...

 

[Hairball]

This is basically impossible due to the way the system is designed. When you do an online load, the card isn't told its new balance like it is when you take it to an agent that has the writer. The readers rely on the card's balance or a copy of the database which is synced to it once a day at the beginning. Instant reloads could be possible if the bus/reader could make requests to the central database as someone taps, but there's a lot of practical constraints in the way of this (eg do you really want it to take 10+s to verify a tap, how do you make your presto comm link not spotty, etc)

+1, this is why the online load is actually a terrible idea for a system like this. It's better if they had more agents and machines. Or, the use of apps on phones that have NFC, that can write back to balance to the card with certain permissions.

It's frustration to customers that are used to the convenience of online loads, but it's the problem with these kind of systems.

 

[innsertnamehere]

apologies, but what is the problem with online loads? every time I load my card i do it online through interac and while it doesn't put it on my card until I tap, does it really matter? it's not like i can use the money until I tap anyways.

 

[JayBeeGooner]

My issue with online loading is the time it takes before the funds can be used. Metrolinx says it can take up to 24 horus before the funds are released to the card. Has anyone experienced shorter times?

I use the Self-Serve Kiosk at Union Station to load my card. It's convenient and easy to use. Hopefully Metrolinx will rollout more kiosks in the future.