smuncky
Senior Member
Did other agencies that rely solely on buses also have such problems with their fleet?
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DSC
Superstar
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Yes, a very good point. PRESTO may be new to 'us' @ TTC but it is certainly not new to Metrolinx.
cplchanb
Senior Member
From my experience on YRT/Viva, Ive never encountered a single broken unit. Perhaps they tried to overengineer the current gen units with the colour screen and is
another case of trying to reinvent the wheel... Are the units on the buses and streetcars a standard system wide item issued by Presto or does TTC get to spec the features and Presto orders off of that?
another case of trying to reinvent the wheel... Are the units on the buses and streetcars a standard system wide item issued by Presto or does TTC get to spec the features and Presto orders off of that?
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
While the province is going gaga on Presto, other providers have moved on:
http://appleinsider.com/articles/16...uters-get-access-to-apple-pay-in-mta-etix-app
And of course, we know GO brilliantly removed their own app from service. Adopting technology from 2 decades ago and passing it off as cutting edge progress while charging local agencies an arm and a leg for it and couldn't even manage to handle punctuation on the user website is just so hot.
I use MT (oops, sorry Miway) - and it happens enough to be normal but not enough to be an annoyance.
AoD
http://appleinsider.com/articles/16...uters-get-access-to-apple-pay-in-mta-etix-app
And of course, we know GO brilliantly removed their own app from service. Adopting technology from 2 decades ago and passing it off as cutting edge progress while charging local agencies an arm and a leg for it and couldn't even manage to handle punctuation on the user website is just so hot.
I use MT (oops, sorry Miway) - and it happens enough to be normal but not enough to be an annoyance.
AoD
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cplchanb
Senior Member
If you want to compare "cutting edge" for smart cards I would suggest putting the Octopus card as the gold standard.
You can use it to do many more things other than paying for your fare and they even have it programmed to watches as well.
20/20, they really shouldve just contracted it out to an off the shelf and bought the naming rights.
You can use it to do many more things other than paying for your fare and they even have it programmed to watches as well.
20/20, they really shouldve just contracted it out to an off the shelf and bought the naming rights.
steveintoronto
Superstar
Unable to provide the record of this transaction since the Presto site right now is down due to the latest steroid injections to get the joints moving better, but can provide a quip from email communication with GO:
[...]
On your return from Eglinton GO, you tap on and closed your trip with a tap when you arrived at Union Station. As per the attached transaction history, there is no recorded tap on at Union Station for your trip to Bloor station. As a result, when you tapped at Bloor, you opened a new trip and was charged $5.30 with a pending charge of $11.90. This is the charge you see recorded on your transaction history when you used GO again on Sept 13th.
Therefore, you were charged = 5.30-2.62+5.30+11.90=19.88. If you had successfully tapped on at Union for your trip to Bloor, your complete charges will equal $2.68. You should have therefore received a credit for $17.20.
[...]
At this point GO and UP Express don’t have co-fares. To receive a transfer credit with GO Transit, I recommend you tap on and off the GO readers for your UP Express trip(s) between Union and Bloor.
[...]
OK, without having the Presto record available to show as proof at this time here, I can assure you that I have *never* used a UP card reader, and never will! I'm meticulous in using the GO readers.
The quote from above is a continuing discussion on a bug in their system. And that bug is in the GO reader as you enter the UP Union Station section. It refused to read my card, after squawking and showing green as well as yellow at the same time on that tap-on.
I had concerns, tried to tap again, nothing happened.
But here's my ace in hand! On-board attendant checked my card for a transaction. It *had* tapped on! And that record is on the Presto website. (As a "fare-check $00.00") It looks like I've caught them red-handed on this one, as this has happened a number of times, so much that first service agent who handled this stated so, and then stated "Don't tap off the GO train incoming to Union, and then on again at the UP Express platform, so it forces the trip to be recognized as one complete trip to that destination. We've had trouble with this, and we're working on it".
lol...maybe they're busy expunging the records on the Presto site as I type!
[...]
On your return from Eglinton GO, you tap on and closed your trip with a tap when you arrived at Union Station. As per the attached transaction history, there is no recorded tap on at Union Station for your trip to Bloor station. As a result, when you tapped at Bloor, you opened a new trip and was charged $5.30 with a pending charge of $11.90. This is the charge you see recorded on your transaction history when you used GO again on Sept 13th.
Therefore, you were charged = 5.30-2.62+5.30+11.90=19.88. If you had successfully tapped on at Union for your trip to Bloor, your complete charges will equal $2.68. You should have therefore received a credit for $17.20.
[...]
At this point GO and UP Express don’t have co-fares. To receive a transfer credit with GO Transit, I recommend you tap on and off the GO readers for your UP Express trip(s) between Union and Bloor.
[...]
OK, without having the Presto record available to show as proof at this time here, I can assure you that I have *never* used a UP card reader, and never will! I'm meticulous in using the GO readers.
The quote from above is a continuing discussion on a bug in their system. And that bug is in the GO reader as you enter the UP Union Station section. It refused to read my card, after squawking and showing green as well as yellow at the same time on that tap-on.
I had concerns, tried to tap again, nothing happened.
But here's my ace in hand! On-board attendant checked my card for a transaction. It *had* tapped on! And that record is on the Presto website. (As a "fare-check $00.00") It looks like I've caught them red-handed on this one, as this has happened a number of times, so much that first service agent who handled this stated so, and then stated "Don't tap off the GO train incoming to Union, and then on again at the UP Express platform, so it forces the trip to be recognized as one complete trip to that destination. We've had trouble with this, and we're working on it".
lol...maybe they're busy expunging the records on the Presto site as I type!
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Awesome. The Presto site is down until TUESDAY.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
As previously warned. I wonder what makes them so special that they needed a 4 day turnaround time.
AoD
I thought they'd already done the upgrade -- I didn't remember the dates. But yes, four days? Or are they starting today, taking off the long weekend, and finishing on Tuesday? Who knows!
I wanted to check a trip yesterday; I was on the 511 and got off at Queen to go east but nothing ever showed up and the transit app didn't even show 501 eastbound. There was signage about route diversions on other dates but not for Oct. 6. There were westbound buses. So I got back on the 511 to Dundas and transferred there. I wanted to see if I was charged twice on the 511.
I wanted to check a trip yesterday; I was on the 511 and got off at Queen to go east but nothing ever showed up and the transit app didn't even show 501 eastbound. There was signage about route diversions on other dates but not for Oct. 6. There were westbound buses. So I got back on the 511 to Dundas and transferred there. I wanted to see if I was charged twice on the 511.
cplchanb
Senior Member
its the thanksgiving wknd...I bet theyre working on skeleton staff if at all....
steveintoronto
Superstar
lol! Real problems take time...
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Like since 2009, when the system went live?
Quote - This is no time to argue about time! We don't have the time.
AoD
Jonny5
Senior Member
Urban Toronto: "Steven, blow up the damn PRESTO system!"
Del Duca: "No! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! [smashes glass case filled with little replica transit vehicles] I will not sacrifice PRESTO! We have made enough sacrifices, too many compromises. GO Trains run late, and we have to pay back the passenger's fares; contractors don't do the work they are paid for, and we consider not necessarily selecting them for future work; Metrolinx is criticized in the media, and we don't deny them access to my daily on location announcements! The line must be drawn here! This far! No further! AND I WILL MAKE ONTARIO PAY FOR THIS BACKWARDS FARE PAYMENT SYSTEM!
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ShonTron
Moderator
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It happened to me once on Brampton Transit: I got a free ride, the driver cheerfully said that I "won the lottery." But it's never been a problem on GO or (apart from that one time) on the suburban bus agencies. I got one free ride on the 76 Royal York South (bus route where Presto is advertised as being available), and have seen many TTC readers down. Perhaps GO will pull a bus out of service with a bad reader right away, when the TTC won't?
amnesiajune
Senior Member
This is a TTC problem. Go Transit rolled out Presto with very few problems, and YRT was a bit behind schedule with their rollout but I've never seen a broken Presto reader on a YRT or GO bus. I've never seen a broken reader at a subway station or on the new streetcars either. This seems like it's purely a bus & old streetcar problem.