nfitz
Superstar
Seems reasonable ... though a shame it doesn't take Presto.
Toronto Union Pearson Express | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | MMM Group Limited
Komiksulo
Active Member
Is there anything online that takes Presto?
TOareaFan
Superstar
Wouldn't that be a bit redundant? A loaded Presto card is already a ticket for the train.....any time, any day, any station....just walk up and tap the card and away you go.
nfitz
Superstar
No.
In this case though (for a 3-hour return to Pearson) it's cheaper on-line than using Presto ... unless there's some undocumented savings similar to the almost-free 3-hour return fares using Presto on GO.
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M II A II R II K
Senior Member
Maybe they could also integrate a ride on it with an incoming plane ticket to Pearson at a much lower rate.
reaperexpress
Senior Member
I expect that integrating the ticketing process with airlines would bring a noticeable boost in ridership. The actual price probably isn't that noticeable given how expensive plane tickets are though.
Out of curiosity, I examined the Kingston to Pearson trip to see how the train compares other modes for people getting from eastern Ontario to the rest of the world.
Kingston - Pearson: Wednesday June 17 2015
Megabus: $58, ~3h30, 3x per day
VIA (Escape) + UPX (Presto): $66, ~2h55*, 14x per day
*2:15 VIA, 0:07 transfer, 0:08 avg wait, 0:25 UPX
Taxi/Car: $$$, 2h35 with no traffic (as if!)
Air Canada: $237, ~1h00 + security, 5x per day
So the train looks like a fairly competitive option that many people would probably choose if it were an option on online booking sites.
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nfitz
Superstar
That's interesting ... though I don't think there are 14 trains a day between Kingston and Toronto ... my gosh, there are 14 trains from Kingston that day. Kingston-Toronto must indeed be blessed with more trains than anywhere else in Canada. I think there's more than when I used to do that run frequently in the 1980s and 1990s.
And a direct bus from Kingston to Toronto? How long's that been around ... used to have to take the bus, and change to the Airport Bus at Royal York. Still, I expect I'd use Pearson Express and VIA if I was still doing that run. I could never abide being in a bus that long ... in all my years (1980s and 1990s) doing the Montreal-Toronto run regularly, I never once could bring myself to do the whole thing by bus - and seldom ever could bring myself to do Montreal-Kingston or Toronto-Kingston.
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Megaton327
Senior Member
Just bought 2 tickets for myself and a friend to ride the train opening week sometime, thought I'd post them here in case anyone is curious as to what they look like. Most of my actual usage will of course be with Presto but Meet & Greet works well for this. The website is decent on my desktop, checked it out briefly on my iPhone and it's not as well-optimized for mobile as I'd like but it's usable enough.
First off we have my confirmation e-mail. Already a bug in their system, heh--the time given in the e-mail's body for my purchase is 9:52 PM EDT whereas I actually bought them at 5:52, as shown by Gmail's timestamp for the message...guess the clock they use for that field is actually set to UTC not UTC -4. Overall, this is a nice, simple confirmation e-mail.
Secondly we have one of the actual tickets. Amusingly the "Issued" time on the top right is also the correct 5:53 PM despite the e-mail having said 9:52. Overall, nice and simple as well--QR code on the right is clearly the main method for scanning it, I'm assuming the E-Ticket number in the centre is the actual information encoded in the QR code and that they could manually just type that number in if the code was un-scannable for whatever reason. Fare type, price, origin/destination, expiration/allowed uses (and fine print detailing same) are nice and clear. Good stuff.
Can't wait to ride! Probably going to go Sunday--I feel like Saturday will have bigger crowds and possibly press+Metrolink/Government folks. Then again, I might not be able to wait!
First off we have my confirmation e-mail. Already a bug in their system, heh--the time given in the e-mail's body for my purchase is 9:52 PM EDT whereas I actually bought them at 5:52, as shown by Gmail's timestamp for the message...guess the clock they use for that field is actually set to UTC not UTC -4. Overall, this is a nice, simple confirmation e-mail.
Secondly we have one of the actual tickets. Amusingly the "Issued" time on the top right is also the correct 5:53 PM despite the e-mail having said 9:52. Overall, nice and simple as well--QR code on the right is clearly the main method for scanning it, I'm assuming the E-Ticket number in the centre is the actual information encoded in the QR code and that they could manually just type that number in if the code was un-scannable for whatever reason. Fare type, price, origin/destination, expiration/allowed uses (and fine print detailing same) are nice and clear. Good stuff.
Can't wait to ride! Probably going to go Sunday--I feel like Saturday will have bigger crowds and possibly press+Metrolink/Government folks. Then again, I might not be able to wait!
Attachments
TOareaFan
Superstar
Was confused for a minute then realized that perhaps you have mixed up your Kingstons with your Kitcheners?
mdrejhon
Senior Member
Oops! Oh yes, confused the two K cities.
LNahid2000
Senior Member
agoraflaneur
Active Member
Thanks for that!
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Noticed this in the "fine print":
. No good for me, I live near the Weston Station. If I could board from there and return to there, I would have applied.
drum118
Superstar
Just gab the airport bus for that nice free ride.
You got 2 tickets, so used one from the airport to Union and then from Union to Weston for your return trip.
You can wait until June 14 for a trip from Weston to the airport and back.
Got my 4 tickets for the 6th, but giving 2 to someone who wants to go for a ride.
LNahid2000
Senior Member
That's not how it works according to their terms. Each ticket is valid for a Union to Union trip via Pearson. The email comes with two tickets, which would allow two people to make that trip.
Please note:
-Each of these tickets are valid for one round-trip from Union Station to Toronto Pearson International Airport
-The tickets are valid only on June 6, 2015. They are valid all day - from 5:30 am until 1:30 am - and will expire at the end of service on June 6. They cannot be used on a future date.
-Each ticket has a unique barcode and cannot be duplicated or copied.
-These complimentary tickets cannot be sold or exchanged, and have no monetary value.
-All trips must start and end at Union Station. (The UP Express entrance is located on the Skywalk between Union Station's Great Hall and the CN Tower.) Boardings from Bloor, Weston and Toronto Pearson are not permitted.
-UP Express is a 25 minute trip each way. Trains run every 15 minutes.
