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Metrolinx: Presto Fare Card

Great news--the new Presto self-serve reload kiosks (currently present at the UP Airport, Weston, and Bloor Stations) are starting to be installed at Union! One is present, and operational, in the York Concourse a bit northwest of the ticket counter by one of the platform 10/11 stairways beside a couple of the Ticket Vending Machines. I used it, and a tidbit I did not notice until now--when you go to load your card there is no minimum load amount (well, it's $0.01) and with the increments it allows you can do as little as $5 (I think they are something like $5, $10, $50, $100). Same design as the UP ones, i.e. no cash or coins just Visa/MasterCard/AMEX/Interac via either tap or chip+PIN, and an option is given as to whether or not to print a receipt (if you use tap and don't get a receipt these are VERY quick to use, easily doable in about 15 seconds start to finish).

I looked all around the York Concourse very thoroughly and did not see any others, presumably they will install at least a few more in the coming weeks/months (I didn't check in Bay but it stands to reason they wouldn't bother installing any there with the closure/rebuild looming).

I also saw two of them in the TTC station--forgot pictures, but they're located in the fare unpaid zone, just west of the north-side fare gate line by some token/pass vending machines, i.e. on the Royal Bank PATH side of the station not the Union Station Rail side, although they are not operational as of yet.

Pictures of the York one:

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Curious...........if you are just the average Torontonian who buys his Metropass every month because all his travel is within Toronto City, is there any advantage of even getting a Presto card?

Also, what kind of discount do GO users or anyone crossing a municipal boundary to another transit system even get? While I'm at it I might as well ask.............if , for example, you are a Point A and need to get to a GO rail station to get to Union and where you are is served by several buses, one is the local bus going to the GO rail station and the other is a GO bus going to the same station...........do you pay for a GO bus AND rail ticket? Also let's say you are in a area that offers no discount from their ticket onto GO {ie City of Toronto} and there is a GO bus going by to a near GO station and a local TTC route..........is the GO Bus/Rail ticket cheaper than a TTC/GO rail ticket?
Added onto that...................is there every a point {whether on the TTC or the local 905 transit agencies} where going from A to B is within the same local transit area is cheaper when taking GO bus as opposed to the local system?
 
ssiguy2 said:
Curious...........if you are just the average Torontonian who buys his Metropass every month because all his travel is within Toronto City, is there any advantage of even getting a Presto card?

Also, what kind of discount do GO users or anyone crossing a municipal boundary to another transit system even get? While I'm at it I might as well ask.............if , for example, you are a Point A and need to get to a GO rail station to get to Union and where you are is served by several buses, one is the local bus going to the GO rail station and the other is a GO bus going to the same station...........do you pay for a GO bus AND rail ticket? Also let's say you are in a area that offers no discount from their ticket onto GO {ie City of Toronto} and there is a GO bus going by to a near GO station and a local TTC route..........is the GO Bus/Rail ticket cheaper than a TTC/GO rail ticket?
Added onto that...................is there every a point {whether on the TTC or the local 905 transit agencies} where going from A to B is within the same local transit area is cheaper when taking GO bus as opposed to the local system?
Click to expand...

If you are an average person who lives in Toronto and takes the TTC to and from work in the downtown, while driving in the evenings and weekends, the Presto Card will be cheaper than any adult metro passes that you can buy.

Paying two $2.80 fares a day 5 days a week on a presto is $29.50 cheaper per month than a full priced adult metro pass, $12.50 cheaper than a max discount VIP metro pass, and also has a tax return advantage over using tokens as Presto charges qualify for transit tax rebates whereas tokens do not.

and it's convinent just in case you need to take transit to the 905 or need to travel to Pearson on the UPX.

Lastly, you can use your rewards credit card to top up your presto card to earn points and the auto reload function means you never need to worry about buying transit passes again. Ever.

Ps if you are lazy like me, the NFC in the presto card is strong enough to scan through a wallet, so you don't even need two hands to pay your fare
 
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UD2 said:
If you are an average person who lives in Toronto and takes the TTC to and from work in the downtown, while driving in the evenings and weekends, the Presto Card will be cheaper than any adult metro passes that you can buy.

Paying two $2.80 fares a day 5 days a week on a presto is $29.50 cheaper per month than a full priced adult metro pass, $12.50 cheaper than a max discount VIP metro pass, and also has a tax return advantage over using tokens as Presto charges qualify for transit tax rebates whereas tokens do not.

and it's convinent just in case you need to take transit to the 905 or need to travel to Pearson on the UPX.

Lastly, you can use your rewards credit card to top up your presto card to earn points and the auto reload function means you never need to worry about buying transit passes again. Ever.

Ps if you are lazy like me, the NFC in the presto card is strong enough to scan through a wallet, so you don't even need two hands to pay your fare
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It's a good chance those riders do not buy a metropass in the first place. They buy tokens, so the only benefit from a Presto is not having to carry around tokens. It's likely TTC's Presto will be set up to hold a balance and to hold unlimited travel metropasses, there won't be a rewards program like GO.
 
The tax benefit will likely push a lot of people over to Presto if they actually do the math. For me a Metropass only makes sense given that I can get VIP pricing and the effective cost is only 85% of the sticker price. With Presto I can get the same discount but not have to buy the pass so I'm going to switch over entirely to Presto when I can actually use it throughout the system.
 
the fact that traditional fare media will not even be accepted 24 months from now may win people over as well, provided they wish to continue riding the TTC.
 
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From The CRA, regarding Line 364 (public transit amount), and eligibility for transit tax credit;

Eligibility
These passes must allow unlimited travel within Canada on:

  • local buses;
  • streetcars;
  • subways;
  • commuter trains;
  • commuter buses;
  • local ferries.
You can also claim the cost of:

  • Short-term passes if:
    • each pass entitles you to unlimited travel for at least 5 consecutive days; and
    • you buy enough of these passes for unlimited travel for at least 20 days in any 28-day period.
  • Electronic payment cards if:
    • the card is used to make at least 32 one-way trips during an uninterrupted period not exceeding 31 days; and
    • the card is issued by a public transit authority that records and provides a receipt for the cost and usage of the card.
Note
Ride/trip passes are not eligible for this credit as they do not provide for unlimited travel.
Click to expand...
 
Electronic payment cards if:
  • the card is used to make at least 32 one-way trips during an uninterrupted period not exceeding 31 days; and
Click to expand...
32 one-way trips equals 16 working days. There are typically 22 working days in a month so most people should be eligible for the credit.
 
DarnDirtyApe said:
32 one-way trips equals 16 working days. There are typically 22 working days in a month so most people should be eligible for the credit.
Click to expand...

It's almost like a savings plan for long haul GO users from Barrie, Hamilton, and Oshawa. You are guaranteed to get $400-700 hundred docked from your tax bill or refunded to you every year.
 
As more and more Presto vehicles/stations get enabled, I'm a bit confused as to the protocols for transferring:

  1. Can you use your Presto card alone as POP on streetcar routes? Namely, will the fare inspectors (not that I've ever been checked) have readers?
  2. What is the transfer protocol from a streetcar to a subway station which is not inside the paid area? For example, I get on the 505 Dundas streetcar with Presto (it's supposed to be up soon) and want to transfer to the subway at St. Patrick. Do I tap on the streetcar and then tap again on the fare gate? Will that recognize it as a "transfer" or charge 2 fares. Or do I get a paper transfer and make the transfer that way?
  3. Vice-versa. What is the correct procedure for transferring from a paid Presto subway fare to a Presto-enabled streetcar?
I did some googling, but failed. Nothing on the TTC or Presto websites on the topic either.
 
I get a POP "ticket" from the machine, which is what a Presto person told me to do. It's annoying to have to go to two machines, though.
 
PinkLucy said:
I get a POP "ticket" from the machine, which is what a Presto person told me to do. It's annoying to have to go to two machines, though.
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It's such a ridiculous set-up indeed. Almost as silly as those fare machines on the platform that only take tokens and coins. Presto? Credit/Debit? Cash in bills? Forget it!
 
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