Metrolinx: Presto Fare Card

[amnesiajune]

Not sure if this is news, but I got an email with a list of the Shoppers locations with Presto customer service outlets.

Agincourt Mall - 2330 Kennedy Road, Toronto
Eglinton and Dufferin - 1840 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto
Hudson’s Bay Centre - 20 Bloor Street East, Toronto
King and Peter - 388 King Street West, Toronto
King and Strachan - 901 King Street West, Toronto
Queen and Carlaw - 970 Queen Street East, Toronto
Queen and Bathurst - 524 Queen Street West, Unit A, Toronto
Queen Street West - 1033 Queen Street West, Unit A, Toronto
Weston and Lawrence - 1995 Weston Road, Toronto
Westway Plaza - 1735 Kipling Avenue, Toronto

It's also a Toronto-only program. "Once the 8 week pilot is completed, PRESTO and its partners will determine how to continue the rollout in Toronto throughout the remainder of 2017. At this time there is no information to share regarding the expansion to other municipalities."

 

[TOareaFan]

Not sure if this is news, but I got an email with a list of the Shoppers locations with Presto customer service outlets.

Agincourt Mall - 2330 Kennedy Road, Toronto
Eglinton and Dufferin - 1840 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto
Hudson’s Bay Centre - 20 Bloor Street East, Toronto
King and Peter - 388 King Street West, Toronto
King and Strachan - 901 King Street West, Toronto
Queen and Carlaw - 970 Queen Street East, Toronto
Queen and Bathurst - 524 Queen Street West, Unit A, Toronto
Queen Street West - 1033 Queen Street West, Unit A, Toronto
Weston and Lawrence - 1995 Weston Road, Toronto
Westway Plaza - 1735 Kipling Avenue, Toronto

It's also a Toronto-only program. "Once the 8 week pilot is completed, PRESTO and its partners will determine how to continue the rollout in Toronto throughout the remainder of 2017. At this time there is no information to share regarding the expansion to other municipalities."

The one at 1995 Weston Road is a surprise....it is, what, about 400m from the GO/UP station?

 

[amnesiajune]

With regard to the balance-showing discussion, I think it's also worth noting that they didn't have any problem with showing balances on the first-gen Presto machines that a handful of stations (Finch, York Mills, Don Mills, Union, Islington, and a couple others downtown) originally had.

 

[amnesiajune]

The one at 1995 Weston Road is a surprise....it is, what, about 400m from the GO/UP station?

Yes, but that station is only staffed during the AM and PM rush hour on weekdays. Even though there's service all day, there's nobody to buy Presto cards from.

 

[TOareaFan]

Yes, but that station is only staffed during the AM and PM rush hour on weekdays. Even though there's service all day, there's nobody to buy Presto cards from.

That is strange....no GO station in the network (outside of Union) has longer train service hours or more frequent trains....you would think it would be an obvious one to have as a staffed station.

 

[nfitz]

can you explain how London's Oyster card is behind us? Im actually curious.

I thought I explained above. Loading is very limited. You can't just load online, and tap somewhere to get it. You can never get it on buses, and you have to (24-hours before) tell them which tube or rail station you'll be tapping at to get itl.

And then there's the roll-out speed. It was 15 years ago in 2002 that you good use it for tube and bus, but it took until 2010 to get most of the London commuter rail. It didn't become valid at London Gatwick airport until 2016, and still can't being used on Heathrow Express.

I doubt for a second it could handle the multitude of different bus and pass systems that Presto can handle (though it probably doesn't need to). The bottom line is that it's an earlier generation. Though even with the new use of contactless bank cards, they haven't pushed it stations that still don't have it.

 

[nfitz]

Trotting out AODA as an excuse is laughable ...

Why, when they have received direct threats of being sued over this, by the same guy who keeps beating them in court?

Why would TTC want to shoot themselves in the foot? Even if they were to win (for once), why would they want to pay the cost?

With regard to the balance-showing discussion, I think it's also worth noting that they didn't have any problem with showing balances on the first-gen Presto machines that a handful of stations (Finch, York Mills, Don Mills, Union, Islington, and a couple others downtown) originally had.

They were mid-2010. The threats came in August 2010.

I'm not sure why we are still debating this. TTC folded after legal threats. Having already lost (multiple?) AODA challenges, I don't know what the fine would be for yet another loss ... I'm not surprised they are reluctant to risk it. I'm not sure why others think they would.

 

[cplchanb]

I'm not sure why we are still debating this. TTC folded after legal threats. Having already lost (multiple?) AODA challenges, I don't know what the fine would be for yet another loss ... I'm not surprised they are reluctant to risk it. I'm not sure why others think they would.

I think most of us here are really just lamenting the fact how ridiculous AODA has gone. its like the french language laws and self justified activists have gone on witchhunts for every single small potential infraction, mainly for selfish purposes.

 

[nfitz]

I think most of us here are really just lamenting the fact how ridiculous AODA has gone. its like the french language laws and self justified activists have gone on witchhunts for every single small potential infraction, mainly for selfish purposes.

Whether true or not, it's not really for this thread. (though I do wonder sometimes, I've got a disabled person attacking me on Twitter, simply because I had the temerity to ask why a CLRV was anouncing this was a POP route on the outdoor speakers, when all streetcars are POP routes, and there was no written signage to this effect. Apparently they think the TTC must do this at every stop - whether there's anything written or not. I've tried politely trying to understand the position, but even attempting to understand why, ends up with abusive comments.

There seems to be a hesitancy on the part of people (me included) to call out complete nutters when they are disabled.

On the other hand, Presto has done a terrible job on accessibility.

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

There seems to be a hesitancy on the part of people (me included) to call out complete nutters when they are disabled.

I think they just want people to know they are around. For example when the Sheppard line changed to single operators I had a bit of a debate on twitter with someone and they tried to make the argument that the operators see people in a wheelchair and give them more time to bard, which isn't exactly true. Most trains spend the same amount of time in station no matter what unless there's a problem ahead or it's an interchange point. Plus it didn't help that there was a TTC operator trying to fear monger everyone by saying there would be deaths on the trains because there was only one operator, and they used articles from the London subway bombing and the TTC subway crash to back up their argument.

 

[LNahid2000]

I think they just want poel to know they are around. For example when the sheppard line changed to single operators I had a bit of a debate on twitter with someone and they tried to make the argument that the operators see plle in a wheelchair and give them more time to bard, which isn't exactly true. Most trains spend the same amount of time in station no mater what unless there's a problem ahead or it's an interchange point. Plus it didn't hep that there was aTTC operator trying to fear monger everyone by saying there would be deaths on the trains because there was only one operator, and thy used articles from the London subway bombing and the TTC subway crash to back up their argument.

Omg why can't you use spell check??

I think they just want people to know they are around. For example, when the Sheppard line changed to single operators I had a bit of a debate on twitter with someone and they tried to make the argument that the operators see people in a wheelchair and give them more time to board, which isn't exactly true. Most trains spend the same amount of time in station no matter what unless there's a problem ahead or it's an interchange point. Plus it didn't help that there was a TTC operator trying to fear monger everyone by saying there would be deaths on the trains because there was only one operator, and they used articles from the London subway bombing and the TTC subway crash to back up their argument

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

Omg why can't you use spell check??

sorry about that just send me a private message next time you want to correct my spelling please.

 

[amnesiajune]

For example when the Sheppard line changed to single operators I had a bit of a debate on twitter with someone and they tried to make the argument that the operators see people in a wheelchair and give them more time to bard, which isn't exactly true.

This is pretty shortsighted IMO... The train operator at the front can still do this while the train is stopped, especially if ATC is enabled and the train drives itself.

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

This is pretty shortsighted IMO... The train operator at the front can still do this while the train is stopped, especially if ATC is enabled and the train drives itself.

Shepard isn't ATC yet it probably won't be until 2019 when all of the YUS line is ATC. So far only from St. Clair west to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre is ATC ready. From downsview north doesn't even have conventional signals. With Shepard they have cameras on the platform and the images from them get sent to the drivers panel inside the train so he can see what is happening at platform level, I don't think they even bother to open the window anymore when they open and close the doors.

 

[nfitz]

Probably works better than Line 2, where at some stations the driver is on the wrong side, and the guard is at the other end of the platform, and has little hope of trying to see what's at the other end - which was apparent the other day at Yonge, when I was still patiently waiting at the very first door for families to get out, when it started to beep, and the door began to close ... and jumped into the door, holding it back with all my strength, because I could see that one of the families still lining up to get out, had a child who was far enough away from the adult, that they were at risk of being separated from their parent.

And there was a line up of people behind me, still waiting patiently to get in! No wonder people charge the doors.

After I complained to TTC, their response was it won't be a problem once there are new trains, as they have cameras. What, in a decade? They don't give a damn ... I wish I'd accidently broken the @*&#(* door in retrospect ... why the things don't retract as soon as they are jammed I don't know ...