RedRocket191
Senior Member
Is a U-Pass really that big a deal with the second-generation (and open-payment) Presto system?
Short answer: NO
Long answer: You could even do it under today's technology, so NO.
Is a U-Pass really that big a deal with the second-generation (and open-payment) Presto system?
Short answer: NO
Long answer: You could even do it under today's technology, so NO.
You were claiming that the Presto fees are why GRT hasn't gotten on board, and I see no evidence for that. They are planning to have a smart card system in place by the time they roll out the "aBRT" from Kitchener to Cambridge in 2014. As far as I know, there are no substantial internal barriers to joining Presto, apart from the implementation itself -- which has been approved as a budget issue.
Is a U-Pass really that big a deal with the second-generation (and open-payment) Presto system? Surely university IDs could be re-issued with an RFID chip.
As far as I understand, TTC and GRT are already on board fully (buses included). Guelph is the only agency that seems to have an issue.Again to clarify, I said TTC, Kitchener and Guelph are reluctant to get TOTALLY on board (on all buses now, NOT JUST LRT and not in 2014) because it takes 3% of the revenue from already tight budgets where revenue is critical. GRT/Guelph don't get 70-80% at the farebox like TTC/GO Transit. The average in Ontario for municipal transit is more in the 50-60% range. Taking 3 % can/will be lot of dough gone on already slim revenue. If you include student riders (such as Guelph where half the transit ridership are students) it will cause the need for either cuts to servce, higher fares and / or more tax dollars.
GO Transit also has discounts for post-secondary students. And their page for post-secondary students indicates that Presto is available. http://www.gotransit.com/public/en/fares/tickettypes.aspxFor students in Mississauga, the problem with Presto is that student fare is restricted to age 13 to 19, but for Mississauga Transit student fare it's any age. If I'm 20+ year old university/college student in Mississauga, no way I would use Presto. If Presto can't even be felexible enough to adopt a specific agency's fare policy, then it will be failure.
This doesn't seem to be a Presto issue - perhaps it's a Mississauga Transit issue?
GO Transit also has discounts for post-secondary students. And their page for post-secondary students indicates that Presto is available. http://www.gotransit.com/public/en/fares/tickettypes.aspx
There's also discussion on how post-secondary students have GO Student IDs.
Surely, if you've got your Presto card set for GO to a student because you are post-secondary student, you'll get the student fare on Mississauga transit as well. This doesn't seem to be a Presto issue - perhaps it's a Mississauga Transit issue?
Clearly the information on the Metrolinx Presto site is out-of-date, or there wouldn't be extensive discussion on the Metrolinx Go Transit site on the procedures a post-secondary student takes to get their Presto card type changed to student.I was going by what it says on Presto website. It says nothing about restrictions for post-secondary. It says clearly that student fare for Presto is limited to ages 13-19. Mississauga Transit does not restrict student fare to ages 13-19.
Clearly the information on the Metrolinx Presto site is out-of-date, or there wouldn't be extensive discussion on the Metrolinx Go Transit site on the procedures a post-secondary student takes to get their Presto card type changed to student.
This also means that if Mississauga Transit is not doing this, it's their choice, not Presto's. Presto's only issue is they haven't kept their site 100% current.
Has anyone actually tried to do this, or is this entirely a hypothetical debate?
Yes they are. See Go Transit's pageTalking UNIVERSITY students here, they are NOT included in Presto atm.