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Metrolinx: Presto Fare Card

Children between 6-12 will be require to have a Presto Card that will read zero fare until they turn 13th at which point it will charge the student fare. Not sure what will happen to kids under 6 at this time.
When I had one just under 6, I simply carried her through ... getting a bit heavy for that now over 7.

Another option, is that Presto cards are transferable. Nothing stopping the 3-year old using the 7-year old's card. Nothing stopping you having two cards for the 7-year old (almost need two - one in each parent's wallet).
 
Since they people at PRESTO frown upon us peasants punching holes in the PRESTO cards (see link), we should try to keep any lanyard holders to hold the PRESTO card.

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Will PRESTO have an app? Is that what they mean by mobile payment?
 
I hope they get rid of those "meat-grinder" turnstiles. I'm slim, but I hate shuffling through those things. Especially difficult if you happen to be carrying anything.

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Museum Station is PRESTO Enabled. Queen Station is the only station remaining for implementation in Wave 1. I had my doubts on Accenture/Metrolinx to implement the 10 Stations by July, I stand corrected. Now we wait for further implementation at subway stations and the roll out on all streetcars by the end of 2015.
 

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Will PRESTO have an app? Is that what they mean by mobile payment?
My guess is it will be some sort of NFC device-based system….so newer iPhone and Androids. That gives you something physical to tap on the fare gates. In systems without fare gates that purely proof of payment, there is often an option to purchase a pass by app or text that then displays on the phone. I doubt the TTC will go that direction as they seem to be developing new fare gates.
 
For those wondering how Presto is gonna work for cash fares, Disposable RFID cards are going to be used. At Subway stations, a variation of vending machine thats being used on the new streetcars and add value machines will be used to pay your fare. Coins, bills, debit/credit chip/nfc. You choose what you want (single ride, up to 5 or 10 "rides", day pass ) and it will dispense a rfid card with whatever you bought typed onto it. The machines can also be used to reload your presto. On legacy streetcars and buses, the same RFID cards will be used with the driver issuing and activating it. Presto will have multiple functions at the TTC including paying for parking and having a "monthly parking pass", including gate control at those locations. All the info can be found here: Google "TTC Presto Master Agreement"
 
Queen Subway Station now has Presto. Saw it on two of the turnstiles at the north entrance today, they seemed to be operational (did not happen to go through either of the southern entrances, but I'd assume it's there as well as those are usually busier).
 
It's finally nice to be able to tap my Presto on almost every downtown subway station now. Including the station nearest my work. Now I can stop buying 90% of my tokens. Whee!

By end of this year, nearly all TTC rail transit (streetcars and subway stations) will all be Presto enabled, at least via retrofit of the old faregates. That's only six months.

With the full bus fleet rollout in 2016, TTC can finally say goodbye to paper metropasses/tokens/tickets in less than 18 months! The TTC Presto rollout is finally visibly picking up pace. Right on pace to "Stop selling tickets, tokens, passes end of 2016" (Presto Metropasses will still be available at the same price).

And the new 21st century electronic faregates in 2016.
Finally, TTC exits the 19th century.

-- I see optimal reader location that I've been calling for (top surface -- so you can tap while running).
-- Presto readers on the top of *every* single gate.
-- Reprogrammable from booth for exit-only, enter-only and bidirectional enter/exit operation
-- Every single faregate in the entire TTC subway system (no need to search for specific Presto-enabled faregates)
-- Every faregate instantly reconfigurable on the fly
......for faster peak-direction flow
......for forcing exit-only operation during emergencies and shutdowns
......for all-gate operation during massive event surges
-- Can be used in unstaffed stations, in a bike and wheelchair friendly manner

Finally. Modern 21st century faregates arriving at TTC.

One possible con (for some people here) of the planned new faregates: Tapout capability. There's tap card readers are built-in into the faregate on both sides of the faregate! It's a symmetric reversible faregate. This opens the door to a push-button activation of a new TTC zoned fare system. I don't mind that when exiting the 416 zone though -- e.g. Vaughan. Then again, it also eventually makes possible tap-in at TTC, and tap-out at GO, and vice-versa -- if the fare system is sufficiently integrated.
 
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I wonder how TTC will avoid fraud for non-adult users. How would a child (under 12, free) get on? What about a student/senior? If they enable all door boarding on surface vehicles then no one will check - perhaps only on random inspections. What about on subway though? Anyone could get a child Presto card (free) and use the subway system willy nilly until caught, which would be rare.
 
I wonder how TTC will avoid fraud for non-adult users. How would a child (under 12, free) get on? What about a student/senior? If they enable all door boarding on surface vehicles then no one will check - perhaps only on random inspections. What about on subway though? Anyone could get a child Presto card (free) and use the subway system willy nilly until caught, which would be rare.

A child using the subway system and wanting to use automated entrances would have their parent get a Presto card for them, and a child Presto card when tapped (even today) deducts a $0.00 fare on TTC, opening the faregate.

As for your fraud question, not only is it no easier than today, but in fact it's harder--today you can go to any TTC Pass Vending Machine and buy a Senior or Student metropass, and I know that some people have a habit of doing so if their trip only involves automatic turnstiles at subway stations and no collectors or surface vehicles. On the other hand, with Presto, even that much isn't possible because you can't just set your own Presto card to child/student/etc.--you have to have it done in person at a Presto customer service location. For me, when I was a post-secondary student, I had to get a special GO Transit Student ID (separate from my school's) created at my school's ID office (they check your records to verify you're currently enrolled as a full-time student), AND once I had that I then had to take it to Union, handed in both that special ID and my Presto card at the customer service office, and they set the student status onto the card for a 1-year period. Surely enough, 1 year later it switched back to adult, I had to get a new ID, and have Presto set again for 1 more year, etc. I am assuming for Child they eyeball it at a young age and ask for ID at an older age+then set the expiry to their 13th birthday, and for Senior they request proof of age although that one can probably be permanent.

Regarding the loophole that you could always borrow your child's Presto card, on surface vehicles the fare inspectors will see your card's fare type when they tap it on their validation machine (it was rare, but with GO I was occasionally asked to produce my GO post-secondary ID card after they had tapped my Presto card, even though the post-secondary fare had been set by a staff member--presumably even Senior/Student/Child will be subject to these additional random ID checks in addition to the initial in-person configuration).

As you said, though, with automatic turnstiles on the subway that's trickier, but again it's still an improvement over today as you'd have to have a child go with you to a customer service outlet to have the fare category applied to the card in the first place, and it eventually expires. Not much of a way to ever solve this problem short of making the subway POP with random fare inspections, and I'm inclined to doubt that even based on the sheer costs of employing so many more fare inspectors; at least it's not unique to or worse with Presto.
 

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