nfitz
Superstar
Presumably riders know this, and will make their decisions accordingly. I believe they are still selling tickets, despite not working in the very same locations!
It just let me put one in my basket just now.
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Admiral Beez
Superstar
Hmm... they must have student ID cards then.
I'll take them to the Shoppers on Queen to get set up. I trust it can be all done in one visit, as opposed to getting the card, going home to set it up, and then returning to activate it?
https://www.prestocard.ca/en/find-an-outlet/customer-service-outlets
Megaton327
Senior Member
I'm not 100% sure on that, actually. I distinctly recall that registration USED to be a prerequisite for other fare categories, but upon checking now, neither the Presto nor TTC websites say that it's necessary, and I've heard it said that you can do it all in one go, so it seems they might have changed that to make purchase/setup easier.
However, for the student discount, your kids will definitely each need to be physically present with a) valid government issued photo ID with date of birth, e.g. passport/health card, or b) valid high school student ID.
Andy T
Active Member
You can set the concession at the time of purchase. When you register it, it will already have the student concession on it.
nfitz
Superstar
I'm not entirely sure if this is true. I was tweeting with TTCHelps on Saturday, as I was on my way to Union with child, and just healthcare card, and they were saying I needed photo ID for my 4-year old. Given that Ontario doesn't put photos on healthcare cards until the age of 16, it seems a bizarre requirement.
Also this was a brand new card - I'm still trying to register it, etc. (odd, I tapped it on a streetcar this morning, which should have finished the process - though I guess not 24 hours yet).
Still, I went up to the counter at Union GO - and not only did they say they didn't need photo ID. They didn't need ANY id. I didn't even need the child. When they found out he was 4, they simply changed his birth year from 2012 to 2010 to kludge the computer, and told me to come back in 2 to 7 years to fix it.
Hard to say. They still won't set Presto to child or student at Davisville, and they didn't sell student or post-secondary student passes on-line.
I'm scratching my head how they go to Photo requirements for kids Presto cards, if they don't have them anywhere else. How is that enforceable. If it was enforced, what could the penalty be, given it's free anyways for children - and for any other age bracket, they are still paying the correct amount. I can't see any court enforcing payment of a fine, if the correct fare was paid!
All a bit odd.
Even if they did, High School does only cover 4 years of the 19-year eligibility for discounted or free fares.
Do you need any ID for student? Seems odd to require photo ID for a 13-year old, as many wouldn't have a passport, and getting one would cost $57, which is quite a barrier. Most people are 14-15 when they start Grade 9. So there's a gap there.
I don't think you need to bring the kid with you. Heck, based on the child Presto, you may not need anything but to remember their birthdate! Though perhaps Shoppers plays by different rules than GO. You keep talking about driving to work - do you go near a GO station? At http://www.gotransit.com/public/en/fares/presto.aspx the only talk of needing ID, is for post-secondary students.
Edit - oh, this might be relevant. TTC have updated http://www.ttc.ca/Fares_and_passes/Fare_information/Seniors_students_and_children/index.jsp to say "You will be required to show your child’s birth certificate or passport when setting a child fare on a PRESTO card at Shoppers Drug Mart."
But that's certainly not necessary at GO Transit. So student fares might be different too. My suggestion is to simply go alone to a GO station - preferably Union, as they are the best trained.
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Admiral Beez
Superstar
What do I do for my kid entering Grade 8 in Sept? Elementary schools do not issue photo ID. I can use their passport to prove age when we obtain the presto card, but they have no photo ID to carry on them to prove their identity or age if challenged on the TTC. This whole thing seems silly, there's no ID required to use student tickets, my kids just drop them in the box and go.
cplchanb
Senior Member
These smart cards should be "smart" right?
Can they can program a lifespan onto them? Let's say on issuance they determine the age of the child and they program the card to have a lifespan until the child reaches 12. Then at that point it will have to be reactivated. In terms of access don't they already have a different tone for child or student? Imo they are really going too paranoid with the who prove your age thing. In 99% of the time a childs card will be used by a child. Are we that distrustful of our society that we need photo ID just to ride a bus??
johntauren
Active Member
Post-secondary student for GO has to renewed each school year, so a "lifespan" is definitely doable for the Presto card at least.
Tuscani01
Senior Member
Is it possible that the TTC will start issuing a photo ID card for all youth who want to take advantage of discounted fare? (as they already do for highschool students?)
cplchanb
Senior Member
imo they are really going overboard with the whole photo id thing. Do oyster, IC, or octopus card students have to have photo id to prove their age?
they should observe what the established networks are doing and implement what works instead of trying to reinvent things as usual.
Tuscani01
Senior Member
Oyster does require photo ID for student cards, however, it's a special version of the card that includes a photo of you. (Though you still need to bring in photo ID to get the privilege)
From the Oyster website:
cplchanb
Senior Member
that seems more reasonable compared to ttc double dipping with their photocard. I guess once presto is fully implemented there will be different (hopefully if theyre smart enough) versions for different groups
Tuscani01
Senior Member
The TTC photo card is $5.25, vs around $40CAD for the Oyster version. I wouldn't say it's double dipping. It's just an extra trip.
cplchanb
Senior Member
I was more concerned about the double complexity of having to pay and then prove your age as well. pricewise, that could be worked out
downtownordinary
Active Member
I agree. Capping benefits every transit user. I used to be a metropass user even though I rarely used the 45 trips a month to get my money's worth, I use TTC to commute most days but there are always a couple days a month where I don't. For me the metropass was convenient so I didn't have to worry if I had tokens or change. Once presto was available on all buses on my commute I switched and use auto-loading, now I'm saving $20-$30 a month and it's even more convenient since I don't have to buy a metropass every month.