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Metrolinx: Presto Fare Card

GraphicMatt said:
Does it really take 24 hours for money added via the website to apply to your card? Do they have some office worker manually inputting the numbers from one system into another or something? I'm not sure how this kind of delay could possibly exist.
Click to expand...

The delay is due to the fact that buses aren't actually wired to the system, they function independently and information is uploaded at the conclusion of their day.

Think of it this way, if a bus pulls out of the terminal at 5am, it is no longer synchronized with the system as of that point. If you had 10 dollars on your card that same morning, loaded it online at 9am and caught the bus, it would still only recognize your card with having 10 dollars on it. The bus won't "know" your updated e-purse until the end of its service day when its hooked up to the system again.

On the other hand, rail and subway station devices will always be automatically updated with your account balance information. They're wired to the system.

The 24 hour notice is just a precaution.
 
SGHA504 said:
The delay is due to the fact that buses aren't actually wired to the system, they function independently and information is uploaded at the conclusion of their day.

Think of it this way, if a bus pulls out of the terminal at 5am, it is no longer synchronized with the system as of that point. If you had 10 dollars on your card that same morning, loaded it online at 9am and caught the bus, it would still only recognize your card with having 10 dollars on it. The bus won't "know" your updated e-purse until the end of its service day when its hooked up to the system again.

On the other hand, rail and subway station devices will always be automatically updated with your account balance information. They're wired to the system.

The 24 hour notice is just a precaution.
Click to expand...

So it is not the loading of the epurse, per se, that takes 24 hours it is the balancing of it against any bus purchases you may or may not have made during the past day?
 
TOareaFan said:
So it is not the loading of the epurse, per se, that takes 24 hours it is the balancing of it against any bus purchases you may or may not have made during the past day?
Click to expand...

Yes. In the event your e-purse load was done after a bus/surface vehicle began service for that day, it would not be "aware" of your most up to date balance.
 
That's refreshing to know. It would have been really inconvenient to have to wait 24 hours after reloading using the website
 
Government press release today:
McGuinty Government Rolls Out Ontario's First-Ever Regional Fare Card

The new PRESTO fare card will change the way commuters pay for transit across the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton.

PRESTO allows commuters to travel between multiple transit systems using a single card. Users load it up with a dollar amount and "tap on" when boarding a bus or train. The fare is automatically deducted from the card. This eliminates the need for exact change, tickets or transfers to get on a bus, GO train or subway.

PRESTO is being rolled out to commuters in stages starting with Oakville and Burlington transit systems, Oakville and Union GO stations and seven downtown TTC subway stations.
QUOTES

"With PRESTO commuters can travel across multiple transit systems with just one card - it's simple and convenient. This smart fare card is part of the McGuinty government's integrated transit plan to make public transit easier to use. Improving public transit is also part of the Open Ontario plan to create jobs and opportunities across the province."

– Kathleen Wynne
Minister of Transportation

"This is great news for commuters in Oakville. PRESTO will make travelling across the GTA faster and easier. A seamless transit network will attract more riders, reduce congestion and help improve our environment."

– Kevin Flynn
Oakville MPP

"As we start to rollout PRESTO across our system, it will make life easier for all of our customers, no matter how they arrive at a station or when they get on a bus. PRESTO is more convenient and flexible than our current ticketing system, providing peace of mind for use on any of our partner transit systems in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area."

– Gary McNeil
GO Transit Managing Director

QUICK FACTS

Electronic fare cards are used in London, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Seattle and Holland with great success.
PRESTO is bringing together public transit systems across Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga and Brampton, through Toronto and into the Regions of York and Durham as well as Hamilton and Ottawa.
Click to expand...
 
Quick question. I jumped the gun and ordered one for my mother. She takes the TTC most of the time. But sometimes travels by GO from Guildwood to Union. Is the card totally unusable on Lakeshore East for now? Or can she use it one way? Say from Union?
 
I wouldn't... There's no guarantee that fare inspectors east of Union will have presto checkers, so your mom wouldn't have anyway of proving that she paid her fare.
 
^ And here I thought I was doing something nice for Mama.

I'll just tell her not to use it till the Fall, when they have Lakeshore East GO up.

Is there better timelines for that by the way?
 
The HSR bus I am on right now already has it's Presto machine installed.
Looks like they are planning well in advance of their fall launch date.
In fact it seems like Presto has been quite on top of things and keeping every agency on the ball with its rollout.
I have to give kudos to them on a job well done.

Now when am I going to get the card I ordered in the mail???
 
I see TTC has installed Presto readers at the Dundas station for the Southbound.

Haven't check other stations to see if Presto readers have been installed for them also going southbound.
 
From RQQ-2009-SI-051, Lakeshore East was originally scheduled for construction May-August 2010. I believe all the disruption over tweaking the capital plan caused some delays (4-6 weeks) in starting works, they should be able to claw some of that back and still have their Fall delivery.
 
Any word on when readers will be installed at Bloor/Yonge? I thought it was supposed to be online in May, but I saw something else today that said June.
 
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