Metrolinx: Presto Fare Card

[nfitz]

Yes that's exactly where I boarded and yes it was over midnight (I blocked it out for privacy but I guess that's out of the bag now.. haha)

Never seen it with the number of the stop before!

I can delete my text if you want. The stop has only been there about 8 weeks.

I haven't seen it often, but I have seen it, particularly when a stop is new, or recently returned to service.

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

They do kinda have that BUT that process includes purchasing the new card via the website and receiving it in the mail. I expect the actual transfer of information is done manually by staff and it took about a week for the replacement card to arrive.

A week without taking transit worked okay for me. I doubt it does for most people though.

Yeah and plus what happens if someone has a metopass or another pass on their card they have to wait 48 hours for it to be put on the new card. First you have 44 for the card to become active then yoiu have to wait another 24 for the information to be put on the new card.

 

[Leo_Chan]

I guess Presto is now in it Teenage Stage. It’s confident at what it needs to do, but has major flaws that makes it annoying and can’t start new relationships.

The next would be the Young Adult stage, where it can do all it needs to, but has a few things that it really wants to do, but can’t.

 

[hw621]

Just talked to a Presto insider. Sadly mobile payment option won't be available in 2 to 3 years...

 

[nfitz]

Just talked to a Presto insider. Sadly mobile payment option won't be available in 2 to 3 years...

Whats the hold-up? It's years since the tested it without any report of issues?

 

[hw621]

Whats the hold-up? It's years since the tested it without any report of issuesm

Well, I may not be specific enough. Open payment using credit/debit cards may be available sooner, but mobile option to tap Presto on your phone will have to wait...not sure what the hold-up is...

 

[nfitz]

Well, I may not be specific enough. Open payment using credit/debit cards may be available sooner, but mobile option to tap Presto on your phone will have to wait...not sure what the hold-up is...

Ah, that mobile!

Not as surprised. Though if your phone is mimicking your debit card, how does it now? (no, I don't really understand)

In reality, it's nothing I'm looking forward to. First one Presto will have the metropass, and the other is pay as you go, and my wife and I keep swapping.

Secondly, I have enough occasions when my phone has locked up, crashed at the wrong time, or run out of battery, that I would prefer the security of having a card (Presto or credit/debit) in my pocket.

 

[amnesiajune]

Well, I may not be specific enough. Open payment using credit/debit cards may be available sooner, but mobile option to tap Presto on your phone will have to wait...not sure what the hold-up is...

There's two things that make it a user experience nightmare. First one is that Presto cards have to store your balance, so you can't have the same card physically and on your phone - they have to be two separate cards. The second (and much bigger) problem is that several transit systems use POP, and anyone would be able to get away without paying by saying they lost their phone during the trip or the battery just died (or people would be getting ticketed if either of those was legitimately true).

 

[hw621]

There's two things that make it a user experience nightmare. First one is that Presto cards have to store your balance, so you can't have the same card physically and on your phone - they have to be two separate cards. The second (and much bigger) problem is that several transit systems use POP, and anyone would be able to get away without paying by saying they lost their phone during the trip or the battery just died (or people would be getting ticketed if either of those was legitimately true).

Well, I am not excited about the first one, not because there are two separate cards, but because credit debit cards can only buy single cash fare. So you can not get the Presto discounts,cap etc. It will be useful for tourists who don't have a card, not those who already have one. As for the second one, we already had the whole discussion.

 

[amnesiajune]

Nice feature I'd like to see added to Presto:

Being accepted on several transit systems around the region?

 

[steveintoronto]

Nice feature I'd like to see added to Presto:

Interesting, but you might want to Google on that one.

Here's the story really relevant to Opal and Presto:

'Tap on tap off' transport cards in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane could be SCRAPPED after taxpayers spent $2.8BILLION on the embattled ticket systems

• Transport cards in Sydney, Melbourne and Queensland may soon be obsolete
• The troubled Opal cards, Myki and Go Cards cost taxpayers billions of dollars
• But state governments want to introduce bank card and smartphone payments
• It will eliminate the need to top-up cards and will have no fee for bank card users

By APRIL GLOVER FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

PUBLISHED: 09:38 EST, 27 January 2018 | UPDATED: 11:21 EST, 27 January 2018

The 'tap and go' transport cards which cost Australian taxpayers billions of dollars could soon be scrapped.

In a frustrating wave of the white flag, state governments across the country could eventually get rid of the tickets in favour of allowing commuters to use bank cards and smartphones on public transport.

Opal cards in Sydney, Myki cards in Melbourne and Go Cards in Brisbane - which have collectively cost taxpayers $2.8billion - may face a slow death with trials for contactless bank card payments set for 2019, according to the Daily Telegraph.

The expensive Opal card technology received a particularly lukewarm reception in Sydney after a spate of malfunctioning machines and general confusion over the payment system.

The NSW Government spent a whopping $1.2 billion in its attempts to seamlessly integrate opal cards into Sydney's transport network.

More than 15,000 commuters on the Manly Ferry are now able to use their bank cards to 'tap on' and the change will likely take effect on buses, trams and trains across the city over the coming years.

It is a move that may see the end of Opal Card minimum-spend top ups - but NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance has assured the cards will still be an option.

'Opal isn't going anywhere; it has been a huge success and supports roughly 14 million customer trips every week,' he told the publication.

'We have always said we want to make travelling on public transport as easy as possible for our customers, which is why we are trialling contactless credit-card payments on the Manly ferry.'

The $1.5billion Melbourne Myki system will face a similar demise after the Victoria Government revealed plans to trial contactless bank card payments on E-class trams.

Positive findings from the trial could mean Melbourne commuters will enjoy convenient 'tap and go' card payments as early as this year on all trains, trams and buses.

It will also mean travellers can avoid shelling out $6 for the transport card which proved inconvenient for tourists and single-use commuters.

The troubled MyKi concept got off to a rocky start after it failed to keep in schedule and suffered a three-year delay before it was rolled out in 2009, an eye-watering $500million over budget.

Queenslanders will also enjoy a more liberal transport payment system with the introduction of contactless bank card ticketing in lieu of the Go Card.

The $134 million ticketing system will follow in the footsteps of the Opal Cards and MyKis with a slow introduction of 'tap and go' bank payments in late 2018 or early 2019.

A TransLink spokesman told the Sunday Mail: 'The future of public transport ticketing across Queensland's TransLink network will involve credit and debit card contactless payments,' he said.

Go Cards currently cost commuters $10 and were introduced in Queensland in 2003.

It is understood commuters will not be charged an extra fee for using their bank card to pay for trips on transport networks.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5319611/Opal-Myki-Cards-scrapped-favour-bank-cards.html

See article for many linked pics I had to edit.

 

[amnesiajune]

Interesting, but you might want to Google on that one.

Here's the story really relevant to Opal and Presto:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5319611/Opal-Myki-Cards-scrapped-favour-bank-cards.html

See article for many linked pics I had to edit.

Daily Mail can be fancy toilet paper at times, and this is one of those times. What that article is talking about isn't any different than the TTC's plans with Presto, but those plans are for Presto and credit/debit payments to coexist, not for one to replace the other. A lot of people will still use Presto, especially those who have monthly passes which the TTC doesn't plan to include in any open payment system.

 

[steveintoronto]

Daily Mail can be fancy toilet paper at times, and this is one of those times. What that article is talking about isn't any different than the TTC's plans with Presto, but those plans are for Presto and credit/debit payments to coexist, not for one to replace the other. A lot of people will still use Presto, especially those who have monthly passes which the TTC doesn't plan to include in any open payment system.

I suggest you pursue the links in the original article, or do some Googling before kneejerking.
Here's one of many more sources reporting the same story:

Public transport cards scrapped for new 'contactless' payment methods
Published: 28 January 2018
Public transport cards are reportedly about to be scrapped in an attempt to make life simpler for commuters.
According to the Sunday Mail, Queensland’s $134 million Go Card ticketing system will be replaced and upgraded with ‘tap and go’ technology that allows contactless bank card and smartphone fare payments.

A spokesperson for TransLink told the Sunday Mail, “The future of public transport ticketing across Queensland’s TransLink network will involve credit and debit card contactless payments.

“We have been working closely with a number of companies to explore world-class technology solutions to upgrade the current Go Card ticketing system.”

The service also looks set to be implemented across the Myki and Opal networks in Melbourne and Sydney, and is merely awaiting activation, according to the paper.

A trial is currently underway on Brisbane's Airtrain airport transport service.

It is expected to expand to buses and trains, but will depend on positive findings from the trial.

However, according to NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance, Opal cards will still be an option.

"Opal isn't going anywhere; it has been a huge success and supports roughly 14 million customer trips every week," he told the Daily Telegraph.

"We have always said we want to make travelling on public transport as easy as possible for our customers, which is why we are trialling contactless credit-card payments on the Manly ferry."

However, the new service has raised questions over security, and how customers can be certain their personal information will be kept safe.

https://tenplay.com.au/news/nationa...-scrapped-for-new-contactless-payment-methods

Notice how they cite actual quotes?

Here's another:

Opal cards could soon be on your phone, as physical cards reach their end
Written by Tyler Jenke on Jan 28, 2018

It’s long been the bane of the commuter’s existence, but now it seems as though rechargeable, physical travel cards, including Sydney’s Opal, Melbourne’s Myki, and Brisbane’s Go cards, could soon be axed in favour of a more technologically-current method.

As The Daily Telegraph notes, physical cards seem to no longer be the preferred method of travel following a trial which has seen more than 15,000 commuters choose to use their bank cards in lieu of their Opal cards on the Manly ferry. This trial is soon expected to be extended to bus and train lines as well, with further finding to follow.

As it stands, Opal cards can be topped up at dedicated machines, or can be set up to automatically top up, but many argue that this is an, at times, archaic system which does not the embrace technological advancements offered by instantaneous payments and smartphones.

As the SBS reports, NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance recently spoke to reporters about the future of Opal. “Opal is an enormous success … but we can now take it to a new level so people have choice,” he said. “So they can use their iPhones, their smart watches and of course contactless payment through credit card.”

Minister Constance also stated that these new payment methods won’t require taxpayers to foot the bill for a technological overhaul of the current system, with the system being already equipped to scan credit cards.

“There’s an inbuilt chip that already exists in the hardware, so we’ve got the hardware available, what we want to do is provide people with choice,” he said.

While many are set to welcome the idea, we do have to wonder about some of the shortcomings of the system. What if you’re without your bank card and your phone is flat? And What if your bank is down (as they are often wont to do)? We’re sure that as this move to a smartphone-based system of travel is made, these fears will be assuaged, but in the meantime, we’ll welcome this exciting news with a little bit of cautious optimism.

https://thebrag.com/opal-phone-physical-cards-axed

I'll post quotes from the Oz Telegraph later when I've sorted out some browser and OS issues. The Oz Telegraph is behind paywall, it's a Murdoch publication, the same at the UK London Times, and the same level of reputation.

Here's from the Australian Associated Press wire service:

Australia
Phone, credit card payments set for Opal

The NSW transport minister says he's open to expanding public transport payment to credit cards and smartphones.

UpdatedUpdated 12 hours ago
Sydney commuters could soon be tapping on and off public transport services with their smartphones, watches or credit cards.

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance signalled the government was considering expanding alternate payment methods for Sydneysiders after a successful Opal card trial in Manly.

"Opal is an enormous success ... but we can now take it to a new level so people have choice," Mr Constance told reporters on Sunday.


"So they can use their iPhones, their smart watches and of course contactless payment through credit card."

Mr Constance said offering different payment methods would not require a technology overhaul, with the current payment system already equipped to scan credit cards.

"There's an inbuilt chip that already exists in the hardware, so we've got the hardware available, what we want to do is provide people with choice," he said.

Source: AAP

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/phone-credit-card-payments-set-for-opal

 

[amnesiajune]

Notice how they cite actual quotes?

Apparently you did notice the quotes, but didn't bother to read them or don't understand very simple statements:

However, according to NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance, Opal cards will still be an option. "Opal isn't going anywhere; it has been a huge success and supports roughly 14 million customer trips every week," he told the Daily Telegraph.

"There’s an inbuilt chip that already exists in the hardware, so we’ve got the hardware available, what we want to do is provide people with choice," he said.

"Opal is an enormous success ... but we can now take it to a new level so people have choice," Mr Constance told reporters on Sunday.

Next time I'd suggest actually reading past the headlines before you post articles. Or going into a dictionary and figuring out what "isn't going anywhere" means.

 

[steveintoronto]

Apparently you did notice the quotes, but didn't bother to read them or don't understand very simple statements:
Next time I'd suggest actually reading past the headlines before you post articles. Or going into a dictionary and figuring out what "isn't going anywhere" means.

"Could be scrapped" is consistent with what the articles state.

A spokesperson for TransLink told the Sunday Mail, “The future of public transport ticketing across Queensland’s TransLink network will involve credit and debit card contactless payments.

“We have been working closely with a number of companies to explore world-class technology solutions to upgrade the current Go Card ticketing system.”

The service also looks set to be implemented across the Myki and Opal networks in Melbourne and Sydney, and is merely awaiting activation, according to the paper.

A trial is currently underway on Brisbane's Airtrain airport transport service. [...]

And trials are underway in Sydney and elsewhere.

Monday 29 January 2018

Article by Kelly Emmerton

The end of Opal cards might be coming sooner than Sydney commuters think - but it has nothing to do with the recent chaos of the trains system and everything to do with the increasing popularity of contactless credit card payments.

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance suggested that alternative payment methods might soon become a more common occurrence on public transport, following a successful trial where commuters could use their Mastercard to “tap on” for the Manly ferry.

Pending feedback from users, the government is pledging to expand the alternative payments system across the network to buses and trains as well. According to Constance, the technology to do so already exists within the current systems, and wouldn’t require a massive overhaul to implement.

“There’s an inbuilt chip that already exists in the hardware, so we’ve got the hardware available, what we want to do is provide people with choice,” he said.

“So they can use their iPhones, their smart watches and of course contactless payment through credit card.”

After Opal’s big drawcard - free travel after eight trips in a week - was changed to half-priced travel after eight trips in a week, there may not be much incentive left for commuters to stick with their Opal card, with the convenience of tapping their credit card, debit card, mobile payment apps or wearable technology on offer.

A similar change is taking place with Melbourne’s Myki system and in Queensland, where a trial is set to start in late 2018 or early next year in order to test alternatives to the current Go Card system, according to the Daily Mail.

This would mean that instead of shelling out $10 for a Go Card, Queensland commuters can simply tap and pay with their credit card or debit card before jumping on public transport.

“The future of public transport ticketing across Queensland’s TransLink network will involve credit and debit card contactless payments,’’ a TransLink spokesman told the Sunday Mail.

“We have been working closely with a number of companies to explore world-class technology solutions to upgrade the current go card ticketing system.”
[...]

https://mozo.com.au/credit-cards/ar...s-for-public-transport-signal-the-end-of-opal

News Down-under is widely reporting the claims, whether you like the headlines or not.

Credit card and smartphone payments set for Australian metro transport
Commuters around the country will soon be able to pay via credit cards and smartphones, with a flurry of announcements being made over the weekend.
[...]

http://www.zdnet.com/article/credit-card-and-smartphone-payments-set-for-australian-metro-transport/