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Fare evasion on the TTC...

Presto should have children's versions that expire on their 12th birthday.

Presto should have student's versions that expire on December 31st of each year, requiring renewal at their school.

All discount Presto cards should have photos. If the person does not look like the photo at fare verification, they should provide ID that shows their age and/or school.
 
I've suggested it before, but I feel like an easy partial solution to this is have the readers loudly say "Child" and display the words "Child" on the reader when a child card is tapped. Not going to fully solve the problem, but the shame of immediately being outed as a fare evader and getting some dirty looks should deter some people.
 
W. K. Lis said:
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From link.

https://t.co/mXD3ZrTYGm?amp=1
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As I said earlier, one can simply put this in their wallet and tap on buses and subway gates without detection. It will only get detected by fare inspectors on streetcars which only accounts for ~12% of the ridership. Unless they force everyone to show their card upon tapping (which will be very annoying), bus drivers won't notice it.

I think they should force kids to buy a student/senior ticket if they are entering at a fare gate or go through the fare collector line. As long as a "free" card exist, there will be a lot of abuse as it's highly unenforceable especially on the subway. At least with a student/senior card, the TTC will loose 1/3rd of the revenue, not the entire fare.

The current implementation makes it so easy to fare evade. One can technically tap with a child card into the subway, grab a transfer and hop on the streetcar with POP. As to why those transfer machines still exist... SMH
 
W. K. Lis said:
Presto should have student's versions that expire on December 31st of each year, requiring renewal at their school.
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If you're going to do it through the school it would make more sense for it to be valid for a school year from the beginning of September to the end of August like they do with the current TTC student cards.
 
Steve X said:
People sell them or you just need someone with a child to get you one. The TTC only has themselves to blame for such a stupid move. They didn't think people would realize that cards can be set to child and there is zero indication of how much money is charged. They still beep on buses like a post-secondary card. Being free, everyone wasn't an unlimited free ride card!
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Actually, TTC did think of it. The spec used for their own card prior to Presto being selected, included separate styling and sounds for different concession fares.

This is one of those things Metrolinx ignored and forced everyone else to accept as is.
 
W. K. Lis said:
Presto should have children's versions that expire on their 12th birthday.

Presto should have student's versions that expire on December 31st of each year, requiring renewal at their school.

All discount Presto cards should have photos. If the person does not look like the photo at fare verification, they should provide ID that shows their age and/or school.
Click to expand...
For Fair Pass users (like myself), the card should also have a photo and expire on December 31 of each year (and requires an annual renewal at the ODSP/Ontario Works office).
 
Jonny5 said:
I was just thinking back to the 90's when the province implemented Photo Radar on the expressways; something you could also call "speed limit evasion inspection." The radio stations went all in on reporting the precise locations where photo radar spots were setup. CFRB and 680 News had "photo radar alerts" every 10 minutes. Can you imagine if they did that for the TTC and fare inspectors! Well, you probably can't. Because driving at 140 on the 400 is your God given right, while anyone who doesn't pay $3.00 for a ride on the 501 is stealing from our children! They should be in jail for life!
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When you alert drivers of speed traps, it is unlikely for them to detour out of their way to avoid the speed trap because of the hassle. They slow down, the end result is (usually) positive.
The same can't be said of fare evaders for various reasons. Is it worth their trouble by getting off one stop early to avoid getting a ticket? Probably yes.
 
They really need to put the cameras back on the 400 for people who decides to recklessly going 140. That's not really a tax grab. You know it's there. The current law doesn't allow placing cameras on the Gardiner/DVP. Only in community safety zones.

Anyways, Ontario doesn't lose money if you decide to drive 140 on a clear road unless you crash into something, dies and require a clean up in which the can't bill you for it. Otherwise you'll just lose more money from wasting gas. Fair evasion however does cost gas/electric to move a rider and on a packed vehicle, the capacity to carry fare paying riders.
 
Just get rid of the children’s fare, charge everyone the same. If I send my kid to No Frills to buy bread, they don’t have a special price for kids. If anything, kids, students (and seniors) are captive riders, with nearly prohibitive switching costs. It’s plain dumb to give incentive discounts to those who don’t need incentives because they have no choice other than to use your product or service.

If the TTC is supposed to serve as a defacto school bus for kids who can’t walk to school, then the province or TDSB should subsidize the cost of a standard adult Presto card, no the property owners of Toronto.
 
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crs1026 said:
I was asked for my DOB when my Presto card was set up as a Senior when I turned 65 recently, but no ID was requested. But then I probably looked so ancient to the agent that the issue was moot ;-)

- Paul
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Oh come on Paul, you don't look a day over 64....

But it would be interesting if they did put your Date of Birth into the card database, as they certainly hadn't been as of the middle of last year. And automating that process would help prevent some fare evasion.

Dan
 
Admiral Beez said:
From the TDSB? IDK. What money does the TDSB give to anyone?

The smarter question is where the money for the TDSB comes from. And that's the province.
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First of all, the 'smarter question' was exactly what I asked. You're the one who asked that the funding come from the TDSB.

I'm guessing you do not pay property taxes in the city of Toronto, or you would know that you dedicate a portion towards your choice of the TDSB or TCDSB

The Education Act requires every municipality in each year to levy and collect taxes for school purposes at the education tax rates prescribed by the Minister of Finance. Ontario Regulation 400/98 as amended, made under the Education Act, prescribes the education tax rates for all municipalities.
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