TTC: New Fare Gate Installation

[amnesiajune]

Anybody know if a provision was made in the installation plans for full removal of the collector booths and replacing them with more gates?

I'd assume they would just put in a glass panel if they decide to do this for whatever reason.

 

[Zach6668]

Where in the world have you been where fare gates don't deter 99.9% of evaders? This is off-the-shelf technology which can be evaded, but likely won't. I could vault a gate, but it would take some work with a lunch, briefcase or bike. The average woman in heels or a skirt, or person with a long coat or over 16 years of age is completely unlikely to do so.

Why in hell not celebrate the demise of early 20th century technology - paying with aluminium discs - and the arrival of technology that I first encountered on the Paris Metro in 1986?

Holy shit, we've arrived in the late 20th century, Batman!

Huh? Misread my post?

I tend to think the whining about fare evasion on this board and on Twitter is extremely disproportionate to the fare evasion that actually happens.

 

[bartekci]

Donlands is under wraps and looks like construction has begun on the Presto gates there.

 

[salsa]

Wilson station update.

 

[interchange42]

Summerhill went live with Presto on the 27th.

42

 

[P23]

Lawrence West is also done, apparently.

 

[reetard]

Greenwood is now turnstile free, awaiting Presto install.

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

I think I heard that the fare gates at Jane Station will start operating by Nov 2

 

[georgevicbell]

I'm extremely suspicious of this project...it seems to be moving very quickly for a ttc project...stations are being converted quickly...often within days or a week or two...has nobody let these guys know that they don't have to actually do the work...that empty job sites and mismanagement are what the ttc prefers?

Whoever is running this project is making everyone else at the ttc look bad...the escalator guys must be pissed...the accessible entrance project is embarrassed...the second entrance fire safety guys haven't noticed - but they haven't been in the office for a few months...the planning department is confused about who approved this thing, it was supposed to be replanned at least four times before some provincial hack was supposed to convert it into a billion dollar subway to the island...

 

[Fred.S]

The TTC actually does ok with projects when they don't have to coordinate with anyone else, such as streetcar and overhead replacements and upgrades (unless utilities are involved) and station upgrades (except Pape, that took long).

 

[WillTo]

After three long weeks Eglinton is almost there.

Access to the subway was free today due to no one caring. No staff in sight.

 

[WillTo]

Looking at the pic now it seems they haven't poured the concrete yet. Could be another week still.

 

[mdrejhon]

I'm extremely suspicious of this project...it seems to be moving very quickly for a ttc project...stations are being converted quickly...often within days or a week or two...

These machines are their ka-ching machines. Can't run the stations gateless (free) for long. And booths cannot keep up at peak so they run free intentionally sometimes (but maybe should run fre shorter than they are now).

That, and they want to stop accepting tokens/metropasses soon (sometime in 2017). Herd everyone over to Presto-based tap tokens/passes quickly.

 

[amnesiajune]

My guess is that Metropasses will be around until the end of 2017 at least. It seems like the TTC is on track to be fully presto-enabled by next spring, but there will always be the usual resistance to change. There's also the challenge of getting all the stations set up as Customer Service Outlets, otherwise there will be a lot of problems with people unable to buy Presto cards, unable to set up child/student/senior fares or unable to clear negative balances.

 

[Megaton327]

There's also the challenge of getting all the stations set up as Customer Service Outlets, otherwise there will be a lot of problems with people unable to buy Presto cards, unable to set up child/student/senior fares or unable to clear negative balances.

You can buy Presto cards at vending machines--they are currently in a few subway stations, and the TTC has stated that every subway station will have Presto vending machines in 2017. So you don't need a CSO to sell cards. Plus, you can order them online and get them mailed; but as far as in-station, I see no reason why a vending machine can't suffice.

Same for negative balances--you can now clear negative balances at the Self-Serve Reload Machines, which are also going to be located in every station. You can also clear negative balances by loading online. This was not previously the case, however they made it possible in an update quite a while ago.

The only thing that will need human intervention is setting up concessions. However, for children, high school students, and seniors, that will only need to be done once, since they set the expiration date for when you turn 13 as a child/20 as a student and have no expiration date for seniors, for obvious reasons. With children requiring 1 visit when they get their card, and just one more visit when they turn 13 to move from child to student, and seniors needing just one visit period, I don't think you need every single station to be a CSO. I think having davisville, and GO stations, is sufficient. Not sure what the official plan is regarding that.

Post-secondary students currently need to be re-validated every year as it stands for the metropass, and that will presumably continue with Presto--however, that is currently only done at one station, Sherbourne, so similarly there is no need for every station to be a CSO for postsec.