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Metrolinx: Presto Fare Card

RedRocket191 said:
Only one question remains:

Using paper tickets you could only get the 65-cent co-fare if you were travelling to a GO RAIL station (or you lied and said you were). Will PRESTO give me the co-fare if I am travelling to a GO bus stop or terminal? I once got off a train at Port Credit, walked up to Mineola and still got the discount (with PRESTO), so not discriminating where the transfer is made would benefit myself and a large number of people. For one member of this board it would mean the difference between taking one local bus to the nearest GO bus stop versus two local buses in the opposite direction towards the station.
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I believe how it works is that if you tap on a bus system (in my case Brampton Transit) that has an arranged co-fare and the next thing you do (within time limits of course) is tap onto the GO system it adjusts your fare.

A recent trip of mine is an example, going to work got on a Brampton Transit bus...charged me full fare...got to the train station and tapped onto GO...it adjusted my fare on BT downward and charged me the fare for the first portion of GO......tapped off an Union and the total fare ends up being what I was promised....coming home, Brampton Transit automatically charged me the 65c co-fare because the card told the system I was coming off of GO.

The one thing that Presto does is make the co-fare thing honest....you actually have to use GO not just wave a 400 year old 10-ride pass with one unused trip on it at the bus driver!

The other thing is that if you are transferring to/from GO at non train stations you don't have to explain anything to the driver...the system does it all.

So, again using Brampton Transit....someone near Kennedy Road does not have to take the 7 to the Zum head in a direction away from Toronto to go to the train station just to Co-fare...they can take the 7 to Steeles and get the bus there and the system will co-fare......I am told they always could do this but not all drivers knew (or cared to know) about co-fare and the driver who did not drive routes that would regularly see the co-fare situation would refuse to accept it....so Presto makes it easier/more predictable/reliable!
 
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TOareaFan said:
So, again using Brampton Transit....someone near Kennedy Road does not have to take the 7 to the Zum head in a direction away from Toronto to go to the train station just to Co-fare...they can take the 7 to Steeles and get the bus there and the system will co-fare......I am told they always could do this but not all drivers knew (or cared to know) about co-fare and the driver who did not drive routes that would regularly see the co-fare situation would refuse to accept it....so Presto makes it easier/more predictable/reliable!
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This is precisely the trip that I had in mind! The co-fare was designed specifically to alleviate parking problems at GO stations, but I've always felt there to be a greater policy objective in allowing people to take the most direct route possible.
 
RedRocket191 said:
This is precisely the trip that I had in mind! The co-fare was designed specifically to alleviate parking problems at GO stations, but I've always felt there to be a greater policy objective in allowing people to take the most direct route possible.
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So, who is gonna try it first? You or me? Or should we coerce some other guinea pig?
 
I've had the opportunity to use my card on YRT and it does deduct an adult fare. My guess is that you have to set up your applicable discount with each system you are qualified for. Also, does anyone know when GO buses will begin to use Presto? The website says this fall, but was wondering if anyone else had any updates?

Also, if there is one good thing about Toronto getting Ford it is that the TTC will be adopting the system sooner rather than later*. That way I can charge all my transit to Presto don't have to buy tokens for the time my trip does not start at a subway station. Also for those endorsing open payment, since credit cards are swiped and chipped, the RIFD is known to get damaged.

*this is assuming that Hudak doesn't decide to cancel the whole Presto project because he is a tool.
 
I tried it on the bus yesterday, and I don't think it worked.

Before hand, I had taken a train trip. I am certain I properly tapped on Union and tapped off at my destination.

When I tapped on to the buses card reader, I swear the display showed it debited $4.20 and flashed the green light, but the driver said it didn't work. Then he had me tap it again and the display said "card read error". He didn't think he was working properly so he just let me get on and ride so we could see what would happen when I tapped off. Well when I was getting off I tapped it and I swear I saw it credit me back $3.XX (I forget the actual amount) which was what I expected for this short extension to my train trip. However then the red light came on and it said error again. The driver said I was the first person he had use it.

So did it work? It's not showing up in my transaction history yet. The train trip I took before and after is. Perhaps I just have to wait longer for the buses transactions to be uploaded.
 
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Wait 24 hours and see what happens. It sounds like everything worked fine. The error was probably due to the double tap. Either way I'm sure PRESTO will reimburse you if anything did go wrong. They treated me well when I had a problem back in the "only to Oakville" days.
 
RedRocket191 said:
Wait 24 hours and see what happens. It sounds like everything worked fine. The error was probably due to the double tap. Either way I'm sure PRESTO will reimburse you if anything did go wrong. They treated me well when I had a problem back in the "only to Oakville" days.
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Well actually if something went wrong, I owe money!
 
Hamilton to HSR

I have a challenge for the presto coming up... will be taking this trip for school starting september

http://g.co/maps/cjcc

I got my card today and doing a test run monday to find out the cost of a trip

also if I load money from my bank account does it take five days or so to send to the card

and also if I setup autoload how much should i set it to?
also when i check the fare calculator it is cheaper to get to humber than bramalea why is that?

ps. If i sometimes take the go bus further to humber somedays and the brampton 11 bus others how does the fare discounts work?
 
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So, today, my daughter found out the hard way that the Brampton Transit bus from Wonderland does not accept Presto ("hard way" being showing up after a day at the park with no cash but a fully loaded Presto card....being told " no presto" then having to go and find a bank machine and wait an hour for the next bus).

Any idea why they would not? Couldn't the machines be programmed to deduct a different fare on that bus? Seems strange to me why they would not take the card!
 
I read somewhere that these services are being provided under contract to the park itself. If true, the park likely keeps the revenue and would likely want cash only.
 
TOareaFan said:
So, today, my daughter found out the hard way that the Brampton Transit bus from Wonderland does not accept Presto ("hard way" being showing up after a day at the park with no cash but a fully loaded Presto card....being told " no presto" then having to go and find a bank machine and wait an hour for the next bus).

Any idea why they would not? Couldn't the machines be programmed to deduct a different fare on that bus? Seems strange to me why they would not take the card!
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In that situation the driver should've just let her on the bus. Just either bad judgement on the driver's part or bad policy on Brampton Transit's part. It's their fault for not implementing Presto properly and riders shouldn't be punished for it.
 
RedRocket191 said:
Wait 24 hours and see what happens. It sounds like everything worked fine. The error was probably due to the double tap. Either way I'm sure PRESTO will reimburse you if anything did go wrong. They treated me well when I had a problem back in the "only to Oakville" days.
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Well what do ya know, it took two days to post, but it actually worked.


18:22:00 GO Transit Fare Boundary3134 $3.64
18:05:00 GO Transit Burlington - BurlingtonGOStationBusLoop -$4.20
17:57:00 GO Transit Burlington GO Station Rail -$3.48
16:55:00 GO Transit Union Station Rail -$4.20
 
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doady said:
In that situation the driver should've just let her on the bus. Just either bad judgement on the driver's part or bad policy on Brampton Transit's part. It's their fault for not implementing Presto properly and riders shouldn't be punished for it.
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Definitely should complain to Brampton Transit and Presto.
 
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