Metrolinx: Presto Fare Card

[nfitz]

New faregate installation at Main Street Station now has a TTC page:

https://www.ttc.ca/Service_Advisories/Construction/MainStation_Faregate.jsp

Interesting to read that the new gates won't take tokens. Which I guess makes sense in the long run.

The page indicates that they should be finished in about 3 weeks; though I was looking around today waiting to board a 506 - nothing to see really except gyprock - though the fare collector was saying that it would be a 6-week project - and that the biggest work (so far at least) is all the electrical.

There'll be a phenomenal amount of work to install these in the other 42 station entrances this year - not to mention all the secondary entrances that only take tokens and metropasses.

 

[ottbike]

I'm curious to know how they will be rigging up the metropass readers to a pretty much of-the-shelf faregate, especially since it won't be permanent.

 

[MetroMan]

There'll be a phenomenal amount of work to install these in the other 42 station entrances this year - not to mention all the secondary entrances that only take tokens and metropasses.

Wait, they're replacing the secondary entrances too? I guess they have to but I hadn't thought of that. So they're getting rid of the meat grinders at unmanned entrances and replacing them with fare gates? It'll be easy to jump these if nobody is looking but I guess in a POP system, getting in via a streetcar is an easier point of access than hopping over the fare gates.

 

[Tuscani01]

Wait, they're replacing the secondary entrances too? I guess they have to but I hadn't thought of that. So they're getting rid of the meat grinders at unmanned entrances and replacing them with fare gates? It'll be easy to jump these if nobody is looking but I guess in a POP system, getting in via a streetcar is an easier point of access than hopping over the fare gates.

I'm sure they'll be using a taller version of the new gates at unmanned station entrances, which would eliminate the ability to jump them.

 

[nfitz]

I'm curious to know how they will be rigging up the metropass readers to a pretty much of-the-shelf faregate, especially since it won't be permanent.

That's a good question.

I wonder if they might temporarily put RFID cards in the monthly and weekly passes instead. It will cost, but it might be cheaper than putting readers in hundreds of faregates for only a few months (or weeks in the case of many of the gates) of transition.

I'm sure they'll be using a taller version of the new gates at unmanned station entrances, which would eliminate the ability to jump them.

Once operators are out of their booths, and into the platforms, etc., any of the entrances could be unstaffed. There's other alternatives these days. Cameras, alarms ... you could even have transit security staff monitoring the camera feeds on a portable device around the corner from the unstaffed gates.

It's not like it wasn't possible to get two people through the old gates, for the price of one.

And even if they used very similar meat-grinder gates, then all one'll need is a children's PrestoCard to enter for free, when no one is looking.

 

[ottbike]

I wonder if they might temporarily put RFID cards in the monthly and weekly passes instead. It will cost, but it might be cheaper than putting readers in hundreds of faregates for only a few months (or weeks in the case of many of the gates) of transition.

They might have figured out a way to simply bolt on one of the metropass scanners to the new fategates, and wired it so that once "accepted", it commands the gate to open

Not sure how nice it will look though. They would probably only do it for one or two gates per station, since all the talk so far suggests it will be a short term solution.

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

They would probably only do it for one or two gates per station, since all the talk so far suggests it will be a short term solution.

which is what they do in most stations already. I think Union i the only station that has all fare gates using everything

 

[Duck]

As an out-of-towner, it is difficult to evaluate if I should get a Presto card or not.

If I make multiple trips in a single day, is Presto smart enough to "stop charging" once the fares go past what a day pass would cost? ie, is there a daily max of what it will charge based on knowing this? Or is it a direct cash replacement where the onus is on the user to figure out if it's better to not use presto and to use a day pass instead?

 

[ottbike]

As an out-of-towner, it is difficult to evaluate if I should get a Presto card or not.

If I make multiple trips in a single day, is Presto smart enough to "stop charging" once the fares go past what a day pass would cost? ie, is there a daily max of what it will charge based on knowing this? Or is it a direct cash replacement where the onus is on the user to figure out if it's better to not use presto and to use a day pass instead?

The feature has not been activated yet on the TTC, but it's coming.

 

[APTA-2048]

As an out-of-towner, it is difficult to evaluate if I should get a Presto card or not.

If I make multiple trips in a single day, is Presto smart enough to "stop charging" once the fares go past what a day pass would cost? ie, is there a daily max of what it will charge based on knowing this? Or is it a direct cash replacement where the onus is on the user to figure out if it's better to not use presto and to use a day pass instead?

Even with limited usability on the TTC right now, it's well worth it to get if you're gonna be taking GO in from Waterloo.

 

[nfitz]

The feature has not been activated yet on the TTC, but it's coming.

Daily rate capping are supposed to get activated shortly. February 2016 was the estimate back in January - might slip, but clearly very soon.

 

[P0per]

As an out-of-towner, it is difficult to evaluate if I should get a Presto card or not.

If I make multiple trips in a single day, is Presto smart enough to "stop charging" once the fares go past what a day pass would cost? ie, is there a daily max of what it will charge based on knowing this? Or is it a direct cash replacement where the onus is on the user to figure out if it's better to not use presto and to use a day pass instead?

I definitely think it's good to have a PRESTO card. I'm from the same neck of the woods as you. I keep a card with minimal balance, and use it several times a year. I'll manually load it up if I know I'm taking a trip. If you are ever taking GO into Toronto, the long (more expensive) routes means the PRESTO discount will quickly cover the cost of the card. It's very convenient for spur-of-the-moment trips in Toronto, don't need to worry about tokens/cash, and the fare integration in Mississauga and Brampton is very nice when connecting with GO (eg. getting to YYZ).

In K-W/Cambridge, I see high PRESTO usage on GO. People paying for GO bus tickets on the bus with cash will get nasty stares as they hold up the line. Unfortunately no GRT adoption, hopefully that will change.

 

[Duck]

No, from what I understand GRT (and ion) have rejected Presto and gone with their own custom system called easyGO. I have no idea why this is and can't get a straight answer out of anyone about it. Seems like a stupid step backward by The Region, to me.

 

[nfitz]

No, from what I understand GRT (and ion) have rejected Presto and gone with their own custom system called easyGO. I have no idea why this is and can't get a straight answer out of anyone about it. Seems like a stupid step backward by The Region, to me.

The June 2014 Region of Waterloo procurement report is enlightening - https://rapidtransit.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/multimedialibrary/resources/F-14-085_P2014-01ElectronicFareMgmtSystemEFMS.pdf

It discusses two aspects of Presto integration. One is that the easyGO account can be setup to be linked to a Presto card number. So that you'd tap the easyGO card on the GO platform, to get the 50¢ transfer to ION or GRT.

In the longer term though, it notes that the EasyGo hardware is capable of supporting Presto - and it doesn't preclude that Presto won't be supported at sometime in the future. Even if this doesn't allow for passes/discounts, it would be of use to those of us who might travel to KW occasionally, and want to jump on a bus or the LRT at Kitchener GO without having to worry about the farebox.

Has there been anything that has happened since June 2014 that changes this?

 

[Duck]

No? I don't know, I'm just asking.