Metrolinx: Presto Fare Card

[EastYorkTTCFan]

The Thales and S&B readers are 2-3x more expensive than the Famoco readers. The readers are replaced every 2-3 years because of wear and tear anyways. The S&B readers were rolled out around the time the iPhone 6 came out, iPhone 4 for the Thales readers.

I think your going to much into what i ment by them going on the cheap with them. What I meant was that they didn't have all of the options installed at the time they first rolled them out much like a lot of other systems did they waited until they needed to replace them to add features to them like tapping credit and debit cards and phones. You also mentioned IPhones, mobile payments from phones didn't start to begin becoming available until 2014 even then not every terminal available at the time was compatible with payments via phones.

 

[ViveleCanada]

They probably got cheap equipment at the beginning that couldn't process all of the transactions that they needed to. Don't forget we still don't have everything in real time and have the silly 24 hours between things done on the website or on some buses before things get updated.

24 hours is going to be pretty rare nowadays. On average, you're more likely looking at 45-90 minutes (not to mention instant loading on mobile).

So we're on what now, the 3rd generation of PRESTO readers in the past ~14 years? My goodness this is the system that just keeps not giving, Accenture has done wonders in fleecing Metrolinx.

Make no mistake the system has improved, but one wonders why some of these capabilities werent available (but just disabled) on previous generations and cant just be updates via a software change.

It is very unlikely the reader's they are replacing on the TTC are the same ones they installed in 2015. Reader's, like everything on a vehicle, break and have to routinely be swapped out. It actually makes more sense that they are just now installing the new readers since it would have been a waste to install them in 2015 given that the TTC is going to enable open payment this year.

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

24 hours is going to be pretty rare nowadays. On average, you're more likely looking at 45-90 minutes (not to mention instant loading on mobile).

The website still takes 24 hours but the machines at both go train and TTC stations (not sure if anywhere else has them) as well as using the app are all instantaneous.

 

[nfitz]

It actually makes more sense that they are just now installing the new readers since it would have been a waste to install them in 2015 given that the TTC is going to enable open payment this year.

TTC wanted to activate open payments years ago, but Metrolinx failed to meet their contractual requirement to install either the readers or back-office to let this happen.

 

[rbt]

TTC wanted to activate open payments years ago...

Approaching decades now. The smart-card tender (2007?) under Miller/Giambrone specified Open Payments (required ability to use NFC credit cards, including transfer capability as a single fare charge).

 

[nfitz]

Approaching decades now. The smart-card tender (2007?) under Miller/Giambrone specified Open Payments (required ability to use NFC credit cards, including transfer capability as a single fare charge).

Yes.

I should have said "expected" and "contracted" rather than wanted.

 

[JasonParis]

I still wish these gates would be fitted with sturdier paddles than those shakey clear plastic things.

 

[Railrunner]

I still wish these gates would be fitted with sturdier paddles than those shakey clear plastic things.

Can they please speed up the gates? Just awkwardly slow enough for it to be a problem.

 

[Andy T]

From the latest Metrolinx meeting agenda on TTC devices and mobile wallets:

TTC customers will soon have more ways to pay their fares as well with the advancement of the device refresh project, which involves the replacement of bus, streetcar, and para/specialized transit PRESTO fare payment devices, as well as fare inspection devices across the TTC network to support the future launch of PRESTO Contactless payment and other modern fare payment options. Following the completion of field trials of new PRESTO fare payment devices in late 2022, teams have been working to complete the full rollout on streetcars and have also now begun installations on buses. The project is anticipated to be completed in the spring once remaining devices (e.g. fare inspection devices, mobile fare payment app adaptors) have been delivered. Metrolinx will continue to work closely with the TTC to determine the timing to launch PRESTO Contactless payment across the network following the completion of the device refresh project.

To support the delivery of a PRESTO card in a mobile wallet, a field trial as well as the first pilot with a small number of transit agencies was completed in late 2022 and early 2023. Once delivered, this product will enable customers to add a virtual PRESTO card to their smartphone wallet to tap and pay fares at PRESTO devices. Teams are now working with transit agencies to confirm next steps as well as the future rollout approach.

The device upgrades on the TTC should be completed by the spring for surface vehicles. No word on the fare gates.

 

[afransen]

So we're on what now, the 3rd generation of PRESTO readers in the past ~14 years? My goodness this is the system that just keeps not giving, Accenture has done wonders in fleecing Metrolinx.

Make no mistake the system has improved, but one wonders why some of these capabilities werent available (but just disabled) on previous generations and cant just be updates via a software change.

I work with an Accenture resource that also works on Presto. Oh the stories I've heard.

 

[littlewill1166]

I work with an Accenture resource that also works on Presto. Oh the stories I've heard.

Did you hear about how they delegated some of the software development to Accenture in India and it had to be redone?

 

[afransen]

Did you hear about how they delegated some of the software development to Accenture in India and it had to be redone?

That's standard Accenture procedure. They do a lot of our IT outsourcing in India as well. However, I'm not sure it being done in India would be the reason for it to have been done badly. Some Accenture folks are fantastic. A lot are duds.

ETA: The IT consultants often seem pretty good. I'm sure it was the management consultants responsible for making a hash of Presto (with a helping hand of government incompetence and meddling).

 

[Mind_the_gap]

Since I previously spoke, the TTC has indeed removed the Barcode stickers from the bus/streetcar units (so @EastYorkTTCFan was correct) and started to cover the scanners up, as is evidenced here.

Regardless, the (edit: new) current top reader placement on the faregates is far better, in my opinion, and they left a clear cut-out section for where the barcode scanner would go.

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

Since I previously spoke, the TTC has indeed removed the Barcode stickers from the bus/streetcar units (so @EastYorkTTCFan was correct) and started to cover the scanners up, as is evidenced here.

Regardless, the (edit: new) current top reader placement on the faregates is far better, in my opinion, and they left a clear cut-out section for where the barcode scanner would go.

Why does it matter to you about barcode scanners when there is no use for them on the TTC or plans to use them. The current tickets available from the vending machines are designed to be used with the regular presto tap location with no need for a barcode. The current transfers are not planned to have a barcode so that people can't use them to scan into a station in case they get taken by someone who hasn't paid a fare.

 

[Mind_the_gap]

Why does it matter to you about barcode scanners when there is no use for them on the TTC or plans to use them. The current tickets available from the vending machines are designed to be used with the regular presto tap location with no need for a barcode. The current transfers are not planned to have a barcode so that people can't use them to scan into a station in case they get taken by someone who hasn't paid a fare.

Simply for the reason that all of the 905-agencies and GO Transit (edit: and OC Transpo) obviously seem to be planning on implementing this capability, why would the TTC opt out with the faregates?