Metrolinx: Presto Fare Card

[nfitz]

It is trivial. York Region has been doing it since they adopted Presto seven years ago.

Don't the YRT driver have to manually input something every time someone wants to tap if it's not a Zone 1 fare?

The issue for the downtown routes, is that every rider is charged the premium fare. The driver shouldn't have to intervene (nor has Metrolinx provided TTC with hardware that would do this yet, as far as I know).

The TTC routes that run into adjacent regions seem to have similar issues - how would the operator even be able to do something with people boarding in back doors in fare-paid subway stations?

 

[WillTo]

Maybe they can have a second presto machine in each bus code with a dummy bus number?

 

[DSC]

I reported here in December that my old Presto card started to fail so I bought a new one but then found that, because I had registered the new card, I could not transfer the old card's balance (ca$40) to the new one. (One can only apparently transfer balances if the new card is unregistered!) I then 'followed the rules' and mailed in my old card with the requisite form and, as promised, about 3 weeks later I got a cheque from Metrolinx with a letter to "Valued PRESTO card user". People needing to transfer balances from defective cards (or between their family cards) is surely something that should be possible if all are registered and issuing cheques and mailing them out clearly costs $$$ so let's hope Metrolinx are working on this. (Well, one can hope!)

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

I reported in December that my old Presto card started to fail so I bought a new one but then found that, because I had registered the new card, I could not transfer the old card's balance (ca$40) to the new one. (One can only apparently transfer balances if the new card is unregistered!) I then 'followed the rules' and mailed in my old card with the requisite form and, as promised, about 3 weeks later I got a cheque from Metrolinx with a letter to "Valued PRESTO card user". People needing to transfer balances from defective cards (or between their family cards) is surely something that should be possible if all are registered and issuing cheques and mailing them out clearly costs $$$ so let's hope Metrolinx are working on this. (Well, one can hope!)

It makes perfect sense that you should be able to transfer the balance from one card to another, after all, you can do it between two different Starbucks cards how much harder is it with a transit card?

 

[Tuscani01]

I reported here in December that my old Presto card started to fail so I bought a new one but then found that, because I had registered the new card, I could not transfer the old card's balance (ca$40) to the new one. (One can only apparently transfer balances if the new card is unregistered!) I then 'followed the rules' and mailed in my old card with the requisite form and, as promised, about 3 weeks later I got a cheque from Metrolinx with a letter to "Valued PRESTO card user". People needing to transfer balances from defective cards (or between their family cards) is surely something that should be possible if all are registered and issuing cheques and mailing them out clearly costs $$$ so let's hope Metrolinx are working on this. (Well, one can hope!)

Weird. I lost my card 2 summers ago and the balance was transferred to the new card - and my card was registered. I wonder if the fact that the card was defective had something to do with your situation.

 

[DSC]

Weird. I lost my card 2 summers ago and the balance was transferred to the new card - and my card was registered. I wonder if the fact that the card was defective had something to do with your situation.

No, they explained that the problem was that I had registered my new card BEFORE trying to transfer the balance. Go figure!

 

[nfitz]

No, they explained that the problem was that I had registered my new card BEFORE trying to transfer the balance. Go figure!

Website is very emphatic that you don't register the new card "Please note, it is important that you do not register your new PRESTO card or add a period pass. All of your account details (including your balance, passes, registration information, fare type, Autoload/Autorenew contracts, language preference, loyalty trips and default trip status) will be transferred as part of the card replacement process".

Now I don't see any reason why someone at the GO counter couldn't accommodate someone and move $ from one registered card to another registered card, if presented with this situation. Perhaps that's what happened - they seem to show more pragmatism and common sense than Presto staff from what I've seen ...

... it's the passes and trip history that would be the issue I'd think. Shame they won't adjust the software to handle registered cards (though recently they say they are looking at it - probably a $100-million change-order with Accenture).

 

[steveintoronto]

^ There's a deficiency in the software. Went through all of this with Presto, got a real runaround that a GO supervisor finally fixed for me down at Union Station.

Here's the rub: *Even if you could* transfer the balance, it would screw up other details.

Here's what the supervisor did in lieu of the massive issue with Presto (and as the 'dispenser' they can deal with it as they see fit as Presto wants it every which way including leaving GO transit service assistants as the sounding boards for disgruntled passenger complaints.)

Close the account still remaining on the lost card. There is a penalty cost (something like 10%) take the cash, and then put that cash on your new card.. If the 'closing account fee' is greater than the cost of a new card, get a new card for the account, and keep the card for others' occasional use or as a back-up if your new card gets lost.

And if you can document what a pain in the ass this whole affair has been, don't quote me, but it's within the customer service rep supervisor's competence to issue you a new card gratis. Be courteous to the GO personnel though, they're as flummoxed by all of this as anyone, and this is a very common complaint.

 

[amnesiajune]

Don't the YRT driver have to manually input something every time someone wants to tap if it's not a Zone 1 fare?

The issue for the downtown routes, is that every rider is charged the premium fare. The driver shouldn't have to intervene (nor has Metrolinx provided TTC with hardware that would do this yet, as far as I know).

I'm not sure how multi-zone fares worked with regular buses. With Viva you'd press a button before tapping your card at the station to be charged for the extra fare zone. With express buses, the machine knows which route the bus is running and charges the extra fare.

The TTC routes that run into adjacent regions seem to have similar issues - how would the operator even be able to do something with people boarding in back doors in fare-paid subway stations?

It doesn't matter. As long as you've tapped your card somewhere on the TTC within the last two hours, it says the fare was paid.

 

[Leo_Chan]

I'm not sure how multi-zone fares worked with regular buses. With Viva you'd press a button before tapping your card at the station to be charged for the extra fare zone. With express buses, the machine knows which route the bus is running and charges the extra fare.



It doesn't matter. As long as you've tapped your card somewhere on the TTC within the last two hours, it says the fare was paid.

YRT is all 1-zone now.

 

[nfitz]

It doesn't matter. As long as you've tapped your card somewhere on the TTC within the last two hours, it says the fare was paid.

On TTC routes into York Region (or Mississauga)? That's not what the TTC website says - http://www.ttc.ca/Fares_and_passes/PRESTO/index.jsp

Reading the "Using PRESTO on TTC buses in York Region and Mississauga" section it says that you can only use Presto for the TTC portion, and must pay cash or something else for the other portion.

YRT is all 1-zone now.

Ah, I missed that. Well that's one way to implement Presto - perhaps the only way they'll ever get Presto working on TTC routes into 905 is to simply have one fare ... LOL.

That's reminiscent with the disaster with the Compass card in Vancouver, where they couldn't get it to work properly tapping off buses, so had to eliminate their fare zones except for their RT system.

 

[amnesiajune]

On TTC routes into York Region (or Mississauga)?

I was replying to two separate things with one comment which was probably a mistake, so to clarify:

Re: Premium Express buses, on YRT a bus's Presto reader is programmed to deduct the express bus fare on those routes, and you can choose between the regular monthly pass or the one that includes express buses. The TTC might be slow to start using this, but it's already being used by other transit systems.


It's more complicated with routes that run into York Region because the same bus has to be able to charge three different fares (YRT, TTC and the combined fare). I'm not sure how they could solve that issue other than by adding some "YRT mode" on the TTC buses and having everyone tap their card when they get off the bus inside York Region.

Re: Tapping onto a new TTC bus/streetcar inside a fare-paid area, it's not necessary - fare inspectors will see that you've tapped your card at the subway station or on the first bus/streetcar.

 

[steveintoronto]

Re: Tapping onto a new TTC bus/streetcar inside a fare-paid area, it's not necessary - fare inspectors will see that you've tapped your card at the subway station or on the first bus/streetcar.

Welcome to the club. That's been evident for some time, which is why I posted the Bylaw a few months prior showing no requirement to do so. If it's a "requirement" then it has to be in the Bylaw. It isn't.

I'll dig out the quotes of certain posters at the time who argued otherwise. It's in fact *unwise* to tap when you don't need to. You might just find your getting charged when you're still within your transfer window.

 

[nfitz]

I'll dig out the quotes of certain posters at the time who argued otherwise. It's in fact *unwise* to tap when you don't need to. You might just find your getting charged when you're still within your transfer window.

Unless it's a transfer because of a short-turn, then the argument is if you need to tap to transfer between routes, and you are past the two-hour transfer window at the time when you tap, then you have to pay a new fare.

 

[11th]

Unless it's a transfer because of a short-turn, then the argument is if you need to tap to transfer between routes, and you are past the two-hour transfer window at the time when you tap, then you have to pay a new fare.

In that case, I take it the rapid transit network (line 1,2,3,4) is treated as one "route", and if there's a delay, customer may be charged a second fare by the time they get on their connecting bus/streetcar?