News   May 02, 2024
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Metrolinx: Presto Fare Card

They've been telling people exclusively to call the number for Presto double-charges. Not sure if they'll handle these online. There is no specific category set out for it which makes it seem unlikely.
Yeah, they need you to call. They need your Presto card number, address to send refund (tokens) too, etc.,
 
Yeah, they need you to call. They need your Presto card number, address to send refund (tokens) too, etc.,

I've heard scattered reports that they're now sending refunds directly to your Presto card account like GO does. If true, about time--mailing a token was absurd.

Funnily enough, YRT also mailed me an adult ticket about 6 months ago when I got overcharged--I took a GO bus to Richmond Hill Centre then paid a 2-zone Viva fare with Presto, should have been $0.75 co-fare + $1.00 zone upgrade = $1.75, got charged the full $4.40 adult 2-zone fare (apparently the co-fare only works for 1-zone taps, for a 2-zone you have to tap one zone then wait at least 5 minutes, possibly missing a bus, before re-tapping as 2-zone for the $1 upgrade).

Of course, GO has been doing direct refunds to Presto cards under the service guarantee for quite a while now. If GO can process direct refunds, I'm not sure why other agencies wouldn't be able to.
 
I've heard scattered reports that they're now sending refunds directly to your Presto card account like GO does. If true, about time--mailing a token was absurd.
That would make sense, if they've got that working. I haven't needed a refund in several months.

Funnily enough, YRT also mailed me an adult ticket about 6 months ago when I got overcharged--I took a GO bus to Richmond Hill Centre then paid a 2-zone Viva fare with Presto, should have been $0.75 co-fare + $1.00 zone upgrade = $1.75, got charged the full $4.40 adult 2-zone fare (apparently the co-fare only works for 1-zone taps, for a 2-zone you have to tap one zone then wait at least 5 minutes, possibly missing a bus, before re-tapping as 2-zone for the $1 upgrade).

If GO can process direct refunds, I'm not sure why other agencies wouldn't be able to.
Metrolinx hadn't passed TTC the equipment to do it yet, at least that's what they told me when I asked the obvious question. Full implementation doesn't happen until sometime in 2018 or so.
 
IMO, the TTC should have been second to implement Presto at the start (after GO) because a big agency working through all the bugs first is better than the smaller ones finishing with little bug testing and having the largest take all the bugs last.
 
IMO, the TTC should have been second to implement Presto at the start (after GO) because a big agency working through all the bugs first is better than the smaller ones finishing with little bug testing and having the largest take all the bugs last.
Don't forget when Presto first rolled out to go transit the TTC was coming up with their own farecard and didn't want to have anything to do with presto. Metrolink evently forced them into using Presto, around the same time they tok over building waht would have been Tranist city lines.
 
Don't forget when Presto first rolled out to go transit the TTC was coming up with their own farecard and didn't want to have anything to do with presto. Metrolink evently forced them into using Presto, around the same time they tok over building waht would have been Tranist city lines.

The TTC was never offered enough funding to implement Presto until then anyway, so how could they have gone with Presto earlier? The open payment system they were looking at would have been better anyway.
 
Thank you. I phoned TTC Customer Service. I had to wait a few minutes but still better than calling the banks!

I explained the situation and that it happened on Monday and the agent said something to the jisk of "Oh, I think that's before we started the transfer" or something, which implied something that been changed in the programing. I didn't get a chance to ask her what she meant because I was forwarded to someone else who took notes and asked for my Presto card #

I was not asked for my address but told to expect a credit in 3-5 business days.

I was satisfied with the customer service but you gottta think the TTC is losing money by:
1) Free rides due to PRESTO machines not working
2) Staffing some crash gates to accept tokens where PRESTO gates have been installed
3) Rides being counted as transfers that were not actually transfers
4) Handling customer service complaints like mine as a result of faulty logic/GPS not being applied to taps.
 
I was satisfied with the customer service but you gottta think the TTC is losing money by:
1) Free rides due to PRESTO machines not working
2) Staffing some crash gates to accept tokens where PRESTO gates have been installed
3) Rides being counted as transfers that were not actually transfers
4) Handling customer service complaints like mine as a result of faulty logic/GPS not being applied to taps.

Probably, but that's the cost of modernizing the fare system. There isn't a city in the world that could roll out a new system without initial problems, but in the long term they always work out well.
 
IMO, the TTC should have been second to implement Presto at the start (after GO) because a big agency working through all the bugs first is better than the smaller ones finishing with little bug testing and having the largest take all the bugs last.
I am not sure that having the TTC (by FAR the largest and most complicated transit system in our area) would have been the best test-bed. God knows, the PRESTO roll-out here has not been problem-free (!!) but we did, presumably, benefit by the fact that Ottawa found (and solved) many problems and GO, hopefully, improved the system.
 
I generally agree with you but I don't believe the 2-hour timed transfer is something that would garner significant attention from that crowd. It has a fairly small budgetary impact at ~$20M, the TTC wastes loads more taxpayer money e.g. Scarborough Subway for far less passenger benefit on a regular basis.

Agreed. Maybe it's just inertia within TTC management that has stopped the two-hour timed transfer from being adopted. Bureaucratic inertia is a force unto itself!
 
Agreed. Maybe it's just inertia within TTC management that has stopped the two-hour timed transfer from being adopted. Bureaucratic inertia is a force unto itself!
No, I think it's the politicians who worry about (supposedly) 'lost revenue" - of course I think the bureaucrats have grossly over-estimated the 'cost' at $20 million.
 

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