Metrolinx: Presto Fare Card

[steveintoronto]

I've already got some lanyards. Why in blazes would I want a Presto card dangling from my neck? Why would I want *anything* dangling from my neck other than my bass or guitar? I'm an avid cyclist and in fair weather, constantly on it. Even string gets caught in things, it's the last thing you need when you're busy working or riding.

On a completely separate note, I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on my Presto account, my card in back pocket is the perfect height to tap against the Presto machine on the Flexities when waiting to get off. Happened twice to me today already. A foil sleeve might be in order...

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

To add one more thing to problems with Presto I went to ago Train station to check if my default trip had been ported over to my new card and found out it hadn't. I wish you could just go to the presto website with anew card and click something that says "I lost or damaged my card and have a replacement" It then would take you somewhere to transfer the old card information to the new card. Even if I had to wait for 24 hours it would be nice to have it all done in one place.

 

[rbt]

To add one more thing to problems with Presto I went to ago Train station to check if my default trip had been ported over to my new card and found out it hadn't. I wish you could just go to the presto website with anew card and click something that says "I lost or damaged my card and have a replacement" It then would take you somewhere to transfer the old card information to the new card. Even if I had to wait for 24 hours it would be nice to have it all done in one place.

They do kinda have that BUT that process includes purchasing the new card via the website and receiving it in the mail. I expect the actual transfer of information is done manually by staff and it took about a week for the replacement card to arrive.

A week without taking transit worked okay for me. I doubt it does for most people though.

 

[steveintoronto]

Even though this is one of my cards, and works for tapping in/out, on-line, its status is this:

"Cancelled!"

Best I try it again before it festers...

 

[nfitz]

On a completely separate note, I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on my Presto account, my card in back pocket is the perfect height to tap against the Presto machine on the Flexities when waiting to get off. Happened twice to me today already. A foil sleeve might be in order...

I wondered here years ago if that would start becoming an issue. I only actually ever had my first crush loading in a Flexity yesterday ...

It's not so much the Prestocard I'm using that worries me (presumably one has already paid), but in my pocket yesterday was a child's Presto (I was with a child), a Senior's Prestocard (now that can go somewhere else safe), and at least 2 cards that would do Interac charges.

Well, according to TTC's latest 5-Year plan, tap & go won't come until 2019, and seems that it will be bank cards and mobile wallet only, i.e. no mobile Presto app...

I don't blame them with all the whining they have to deal with, about there card not being fully-updated 5 minutes after they put money on it, on-line. There'd be no end of "but my phone died" complaints about tickets.

A week without taking transit worked okay for me. I doubt it does for most people though.

A spare card really helps. I grabbed one originally because of the annoyance of having to travel with someone from out-of-town and being delayed trying to buy GO tickets manually. But it's been useful for other things, such as business trips with someone (just charge it on my expenses with mine), and the backup if there's an issue with my primary (which has only happened once - where it got locked out after an impossible double-beep while tapping on - needless to say, a very early software glitch ... no problem, train approaching ... pull out second card).

 

[nfitz]

Even though this is one of my cards, and works for tapping in/out, on-line, its status is this:
View attachment 132877

"Cancelled!"

Best I try it again before it festers...

Give it a day or two. Just looking at my transactions; I tapped 5 times yesterday afternoon, and only the two on streetcars have appeared on my account. The three on subway all seem to have no arrived yet. So the online information may well be out of date, particularly if you were tapping at subway stations.

 

[steveintoronto]

steveintoronto said: ↑

On a completely separate note, I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on my Presto account, my card in back pocket is the perfect height to tap against the Presto machine on the Flexities when waiting to get off. Happened twice to me today already. A foil sleeve might be in order...

I wondered here years ago if that would start becoming an issue. I only actually ever had my first crush loading in a Flexity yesterday ...

It's not so much the Prestocard I'm using that worries me (presumably one has already paid), but in my pocket yesterday was a child's Presto (I was with a child), a Senior's Prestocard (now that can go somewhere else safe), and at least 2 cards that would do Interac charges.

Yeaaahhh... in both instances that day, I had tools in their caddy over my left side with a shoulder belt, and the Presto in my right rear, opportune for grabbing when needed, but the tools make me stand next to the door waiting to exit such that the right rear jean pocket exactly aligns to tap the card. Checking my on-line account summary, both were hits, but counted as transfers, one only just, as it was near the two hour TTC limit. This was the rear-most door in both instances, I'm going to have to check device height on the other doors. It could very well trigger other cards in your pocket too.

A spare card really helps. I grabbed one originally because of the annoyance of having to travel with someone from out-of-town and being delayed trying to buy GO tickets manually. But it's been useful for other things, such as business trips with someone (just charge it on my expenses with mine), and the backup if there's an issue with my primary (which has only happened once - where it got locked out after an impossible double-beep while tapping on - needless to say, a very early software glitch ... no problem, train approaching ... pull out second card).

On that latter incident, you'd be paying a second fare rather than a transfer if you were connecting through. I've considered the up and down side of keeping a second card. It's pretty much an even toss, save for if you called that into Presto service to have it rectified as one single trip. That would set things straight, until next time. And then the chance you come up short, and your second card can't pick-up where your first one glitched.

Give it a day or two. Just looking at my transactions; I tapped 5 times yesterday afternoon, and only the two on streetcars have appeared on my account. The three on subway all seem to have no arrived yet. So the online information may well be out of date, particularly if you were tapping at subway stations.

Actually that came up when the manually entered 'hack' went through. Tried to tap my newest card an hour ago, "Declined". Checked balance on the balance machine, zilch.

It might be that I still have to do the on-line transfer of the broken card to the newest one, the Presto crew's hack was not clearly explained on this. I'll give it a try and get back to this forum.

I'm certainly not registering it until that step is successful.

 

[WillTo]

Here's a new one!

 

[steveintoronto]

Here's a new one!

Ya know, many of us are hardly spring chickens when it comes to reading spreadsheets or using transit cards, but Presto takes the cake...at a cost of $16.53.

If Presto ran a military security system, Moscow would long ago have launched their nuclear arsenal at us.

 

[nfitz]

Here's a new one!

I've seen that before. I assume that the tap was someone before midnight, and the transfer after, all within 2 hours.

The 5-digit code is the TTC stop number. Tossing it into the TTC search function, it's a 504/514 stop. Looking at the TTC route 514 it's _______. I guess that Accenture hasn't updated the list of TTC stops properly.

Other than that, it looks okay - but I wouldn't be surprised if there are some free transfers happening back and forth on 504/514. Though with all the extra vehicles that are short-turning everywhere, that's probably difficult to manage on the best day anyways.

Still no sign of my 3 subway station taps yesterday ... hmm, 2 actually now I think carefully. Bay and Christie.

Ya know, many of us are hardly spring chickens when it comes to reading spreadsheets or using transit cards, but Presto takes the cake...at a cost of $16.53.

The $0 balance? It always shows that for a transfer. It should still show the correct amount in the top left.

 

[steveintoronto]

I've seen that before. I assume that the tap was someone before midnight, and the transfer after, all within 2 hours.

The 5-digit code is the TTC stop number. Tossing it into the TTC search function, it's a 504/514 stop. Looking at the TTC route 514 it's the new westbound King at Jarvis West Side. The new 504/514 stop on the NW corner of King/Jarvis, that's replaced the old NE corner stop, for the 504 trial. I guess that Accenture hasn't updated the list of TTC stops properly.

Other than that, it looks okay - but I wouldn't be surprised if there are some free transfers happening back and forth on 504/514. Though with all the extra vehicles that are short-turning everywhere, that's probably difficult to manage on the best day anyways.

Still no sign of my 3 subway station taps yesterday ... hmm, 2 actually now I think carefully. Bay and Christie.

Agreed on all...save for the balance!

Maybe someone more familiar with the idiosyncrasies of Presto's latent...*extremely latent* on-line accounting could take this in stride. But what about "Joe Average"...the very person this is aimed at, how in hell can they understand an account summary like this when the vast majority of 'Mr and Ms Average' can't even read a timetable?

Could you imagine getting statements from your bank like this? *Zero Balance*! Why not indicate as the system's limited capabilities should: "Not available at this time".

My God, if I designed interfaces like that, the incidence of mental health crises would skyrocket.

Here's an idea though: Have Presto design cars, and better yet, their operating systems. In one fell swoop, the amount of persons using transit in Presto's catchment area would increase by magnitudes. And they wouldn't be using Presto to do it...lol...they'd be buying tokens on the black market.

 

[nfitz]

Mr and Mrs Average aren't looking online. The balance never shows zero in the top-left corner. If the line is all zeros, it's intuitively obvious that there's no balance change - even if technically wrong. I replied to your earlier post in an edit above.

 

[steveintoronto]

Mr and Mrs Average aren't looking online.

Which then begs the obvious question: Just who is it meant for then?

Imagine that, the Average Plebe wanting to get an accounting of what he/she is being charged. Who do they think they are?

Here's a concept, even done on maps: Post a legend on the page that explains the minutiae of Presto's Secret Language.

Even accountants might be able to figure it out? Perhaps not...

 

[WillTo]

I've seen that before. I assume that the tap was someone before midnight, and the transfer after, all within 2 hours.

The 5-digit code is the TTC stop number. Tossing it into the TTC search function, it's a 504/514 stop. Looking at the TTC route 514 it's the new westbound King at Jarvis West Side. The new 504/514 stop on the NW corner of King/Jarvis, that's replaced the old NE corner stop, for the 504 trial. I guess that Accenture hasn't updated the list of TTC stops properly.

Other than that, it looks okay - but I wouldn't be surprised if there are some free transfers happening back and forth on 504/514. Though with all the extra vehicles that are short-turning everywhere, that's probably difficult to manage on the best day anyways.

Still no sign of my 3 subway station taps yesterday ... hmm, 2 actually now I think carefully. Bay and Christie.

The $0 balance? It always shows that for a transfer. It should still show the correct amount in the top left.

Yes that's exactly where I boarded and yes it was over midnight (I blocked it out for privacy but I guess that's out of the bag now.. haha)

Never seen it with the number of the stop before!

 

[nfitz]

Which then begs the obvious question: Just who is it meant for then?

Imagine that, the Average Plebe wanting to get an accounting of what he/she is being charged. Who do they think they are?

Here's a concept, even done on maps: Post a legend on the page that explains the minutiae of Presto's Secret Language.

Even accountants might be able to figure it out? Perhaps not...

I think most people who find their way to it, will easily see that a 0, 0, 0, entry doesn't change the balance.

Honestly, if they are that incapable, they wouldn't get there.