Electrify
Senior Member
What if someone is visiting from a different province or country?
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What if someone is visiting from a different province or country?
nfitz
Superstar
Then presumably you wouldn't be registering them or buying passes, and would simply pay what the going rate was where you bought it.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Quebec isn't a different country yet?
1overcosc
Active Member
Then you pay cash fare, which works the old fashioned way--it's tied to whatever system you use.
lead82
Senior Member
Cash should be removed from the system. We should implement tourist tickets like other cities. You can install kiosks at subway stations that print out 1 day paper Presto passes, similar to Viva's system. You pay at the kiosk and then you can either get a digital ticket sent to your phone or you can print a paper presto ticket with a chip to use for the day/week/month.
Nobina
New Member
Text message ticket
What I wish we'd implement here in Toronto is a text message ticket. No app or NFC chip required, so you can use any cell phone. You simply send a text message to the TTC, like we already do with Next bus, but in return you get a text message with the expiry time, fare class, zone, price and a verification code that a fare inspector can punch in on their device. You simply show a bus driver the text message when boarding. But this would only work if the TTC shift to time-based tickets, and abandon their ridiculous transfer policies.
This is used in many places worldwide. I used this in Helsinki and found it to be very convenient, especially when my smartcard ran out of money. You can use it on trams, the subway, commuter trains, ferries, and many central bus routes. They've used mobile tickets for around ten years now. See link: Mobile ticket
What I wish we'd implement here in Toronto is a text message ticket. No app or NFC chip required, so you can use any cell phone. You simply send a text message to the TTC, like we already do with Next bus, but in return you get a text message with the expiry time, fare class, zone, price and a verification code that a fare inspector can punch in on their device. You simply show a bus driver the text message when boarding. But this would only work if the TTC shift to time-based tickets, and abandon their ridiculous transfer policies.
This is used in many places worldwide. I used this in Helsinki and found it to be very convenient, especially when my smartcard ran out of money. You can use it on trams, the subway, commuter trains, ferries, and many central bus routes. They've used mobile tickets for around ten years now. See link: Mobile ticket
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TOareaFan
Superstar
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Five years is too long to fix concerns or problems with PRESTO. It maybe a "pilot" or "beta", but fixes should have been worked on and fixed long ago.
johntauren
Active Member
I found a related story over 4 years old.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/201...ts_activist_calls_for_shutdown_of_presto.html
But seriously...TTC has messed up Presto so much.
Last month, I saw a collector flip out at an able-bodied lady laden with packages scan her Presto card at the reader, and then use the open gate next to it for easier access.
In the same article I linked:
“Presto has been working with an Accessibility Advisory Group, including representatives from the visually impaired community, as the Presto card was developed."
I really doubt that.
I went to one of their workshops for the new devices for the new streetcars (Are we still getting those live on the streetcars this month, or is that further delayed again?) and not one of them at Metrolinx really addressed our concerns about accessibility.
Even normal accessibility is messed up at certain stations, with the accessible entrance being isolated from the rest. I frequently use Queen's Park, and I've seen many had to go up to the collector with cash to pay just to turn around and cross the hall to enter the elevator opposite.
And whatever happened to this? http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/02/03/coming_soon_to_ttc_station_near_you.html
That fare gate looks pretty accommodating.
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cplchanb
Senior Member
Internal politics at its best. I fail to see how they can justify such slow implementation. They have the data from all the other systems in the GTA and in Ottawa for years not to mention that all of them implemented presto entirely on the first day. I also fail to see why they they have to waste whatever they spent on developing a bespoke faregate system when they can just buy off the shelf and integrate presto machines easily. Then theres the "testing". I really fail to see how they would need almost a year just to test presto on the new trams. I'm betting that this smoke and mirrors excuse of phasing is either trying to cover their inability to get their act together or their feeble attempt to scrape as much revenue as they can before integrating with presto and losing a cut to metrolinx
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Unfortunately, testing and tweaking costs "gravy", which the TTC does not have. Ditto for maintenance or improvements, all "gravy". Of course, since the current administration does not use the TTC on a regular basis, so they don't see any problems.
nfitz
Superstar
This is just not true. I thought I'd posted a response yesterday, but I must have not saved it. The minutes from the TTC Accessibility Group discussing Presto are all over the TTC website.
Check in the minutes of the last TTC board meeting in August. 60 ordered from Metrolinx, first one to come in Q2/Q3 2015.
I can understand accessibility concerns, but given Metrolinx hasn't activated Presto for children, students, or seniors yet, it's still a work in progress.
TTC Presto implementation is only scheduled to start this month.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Five years of testing the PRESTO.
How long do they do testing or development for smartphones? How long did the first smartphone begin its development, testing, and then marketing it? And its related applications?
How long do they do testing or development for smartphones? How long did the first smartphone begin its development, testing, and then marketing it? And its related applications?
ehlow
Senior Member
I'm not sure I believe Presto on TTC will ever happen. Just like the early subway closures north of Eglinton, it's been what, 8-10 years?
But at least the streetcars are moving to POP and fare machines at stops, even without Presto. What matters to me is POP & all door boarding, so you don't have situations where 10 people are lined up behind one person trying to find a token or asking questions of the driver.
But at least the streetcars are moving to POP and fare machines at stops, even without Presto. What matters to me is POP & all door boarding, so you don't have situations where 10 people are lined up behind one person trying to find a token or asking questions of the driver.
nfitz
Superstar
What do you mean? Presto was fully implmented across the GTA years ago. There was never an agreement to extend it to TTC until recently.
How do you get 8-10 years? TTC didn't agree to implement Presto until 2012. They didn't sign the agreement with the province until November 28, 2012. Here is the 650-page agreement - www.metrolinx.com/en/projectsandprograms/presto/Executed_PRESTO-TTC_-_Master_Agreement.pdf
I think your confusing the start of Presto implementation for the rest of the GTA, with TTC. Metrolinx and the province expected TTC to drop something like $400 million on Presto. TTC refused to do it, because of the cost, and went their own direction. Under Ford and Stintz, TTC caved, and Metrolinx provided a funding mechanism to implement Presto under the original much lower TTC budget.
Schedule seems to have slipped a bit, but first implementation wasn't planned until late 2014. And we should be seeing an announcement about that soon.
There was a good update about the schedule, and what we should see first at the last TTC board meeting - www.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Commission_reports_and_information/Commission_meetings/2014/August_19/Reports/PRESTO_Implementation_at_the_TTC_-_Status_Update.pdf