Metrolinx: Presto Fare Card

[Tuscani01]

So Giambrone is saying he would like to see all of the GTA Transit agencies jump on board, in conjunction with Presto, yet once again only says the TTC will use it to a limited extent?

Whats the point then?

 

[GraphicMatt]

Credit card payments using Mastercard's SpeedPass or Visa's PayWave technology would greatly simplify things. Hell, if you gave one of the two companies an exclusive (like Tim Hortons did) they'd probably pay for all the necessary infrastructure and save the city a ton of money.

 

[Jonny5]

So Giambrone is saying he would like to see all of the GTA Transit agencies jump on board, in conjunction with Presto, yet once again only says the TTC will use it to a limited extent?

Whats the point then?

I think the "limited extent" phrase was the author's description of Toronto's current participation in Presto, not the TTC's planned credit card system.

 

[andrewpmk]

Credit card payments using Mastercard's SpeedPass or Visa's PayWave technology would greatly simplify things. Hell, if you gave one of the two companies an exclusive (like Tim Hortons did) they'd probably pay for all the necessary infrastructure and save the city a ton of money.

1. Visa/MasterCard charges a significant fee (1-2%) which will consume a significant chunk of the TTC's revenue.
2. This will not work well (especially on buses/streetcars) unless payment processing is very fast (fractions of a second). Are Visa/Mastercard's systems capable of processing a large volume of payments very quickly and are cellular data networks fast/reliable enough to transit payment data from TTC buses/streetcars? Certainly your typical merchant credit/debit terminal will not work here, it often takes 10 seconds or more to process a payment which is unacceptable for transit use.

 

[GraphicMatt]

The current Speedpass/Paywave technology seems plenty fast - you just wave your card over the reader and it's processed.

Good point on the processing fees, though. There would be some off-set savings from not having to produce as much fare media, though.

 

[Justin10000]

^^yeah, it's quite fast. My friend uses Speedpass, and his order was processed in less than a second. The concern would be if the system can handle hundreds of transactions every minute.

 

[chriskayTO]

Somewhat good news - I think that Presto fixed the problem that was preventing card reloads activating using TTC machines. I notice in my activity from yesterday that it shows "EPurseLoadValue" when I tapped in at Yonge/Bloor. Though it says on my activity "College Station". At least it's spelled correctly.

 

[rbt]

1. Visa/MasterCard charges a significant fee (1-2%) which will consume a significant chunk of the TTC's revenue.

It may not be too bad. High speed coin counting machines, collection from all vehicles, etc. is pretty damn expensive. Being able to reduce staffing levels at stations like Union (what tourist doesn't have a visa?) would be beneficial.

2. This will not work well (especially on buses/streetcars) unless payment processing is very fast (fractions of a second).

The notes on Visa's website indicates transactions under $10 can go through in under half a second.

 

[hkric88]

1. Not everyone has or can have a credit card.
2. If this feature comes for debit cards eventually, not everyone has or can or wants to have (PAY FOR) a chequeings account which actually allows 60+ transactions per month without CHARGING YOU FEES FOR IT
3. This is a stupid idea.

On another note - I had a learning experience yesterday.. My presto card had finally been reduced to a $0.00 balance, and without much thought, I decided I wanted to see what the denial process was like when attempting to enter a subway station. I tapped on a Union, and to my surprise and dismay, the green light came on and it showed my card was now -$2.50. So now you all know, negative balance works, and it works for TTC stations.

 

[nfitz]

1. Not everyone has or can have a credit card.
2. If this feature comes for debit cards eventually, not everyone has or can or wants to have (PAY FOR) a chequeings account which actually allows 60+ transactions per month without CHARGING YOU FEES FOR IT
3. This is a stupid idea.

Not sure the issue here ... if you don't have a credit card, or a debit card with unlimited transactions, then why not just get a Presto card; this would be perfect for you ... and presumably for anyone who has 60+ transactions a month.

On another note - I had a learning experience yesterday.. My presto card had finally been reduced to a $0.00 balance, and without much thought, I decided I wanted to see what the denial process was like when attempting to enter a subway station. I tapped on a Union, and to my surprise and dismay, the green light came on and it showed my card was now -$2.50. So now you all know, negative balance works, and it works for TTC stations.

This seems to violate the information in the FAQ "If you run low on cash on your card, but need to get somewhere fast, you can travel one more time and incur a negative balance, as long as you don’t have a zero balance to begin with. You will not be stranded. A small fee will apply." It would be interesting to see if you could travel again, and what the 'small' fee is.

 

[Mapleson]

The Tim Horton model of credit card purchases makes a lot of sense for everyone. Consumers don't pay 30+ charges per month, more likely 4 or less. Credit card companies get a foot into a 'cash only' market thereby making more money. The retailer doesn't lose margins between the two.

That said, did we really need an expensive study to say we could save money and time by having machines that take cash/credit/debit?

 

[hkric88]

The Tim Horton model of credit card purchases makes a lot of sense for everyone. Consumers don't pay 30+ charges per month, more likely 4 or less. Credit card companies get a foot into a 'cash only' market thereby making more money. The retailer doesn't lose margins between the two.

That said, did we really need an expensive study to say we could save money and time by having machines that take cash/credit/debit?

How about implementing a fare card that can jus be reloaded from numerous places any way you'd like.. Hey Imagine if there was a fare card that would work not just on the TTC but also on like GO or YRT or ....

O WAIT, IT EXISTS, IT'S CALLED PRESTO.

 

[Justin10000]

How about implementing a fare card that can jus be reloaded from numerous places any way you'd like.. Hey Imagine if there was a fare card that would work not just on the TTC but also on like GO or YRT or ....

O WAIT, IT EXISTS, IT'S CALLED PRESTO.

Except Presto cannot be reloaded from numerous places, and it would probably cost a lot to install Presto machines in convenience stores.

 

[GraphicMatt]

And while the province seems to really really want people to use PresTO, they sure weren't very willing to pay for any of the install costs.

 

[RedRocket191]

Actually, they helped pay for part of the installation and part of the operational cost for every transit agency who signed on at the getgo. So really, it was their own fault.