Metrolinx: Presto Fare Card

[TOareaFan]

They should not tap off at Union. The card emulates how tickets work. You buy a ticket to the final destination, not interim transfer points.
GO has a minimum fare per trip. If you tap off and then on again at Union it will charge the minimum fare again. You are not supposed to be charged this just for transferring.

Now you can get into trouble if all this takes longer than the 2 hour trip window (I think it's actually 2 hours 15 minutes now).
You have to tap off before the trip window ends or the card locks out. If they get to Union and just miss a train, then wait an hour for the next one, they might not get to the EX in time. Also make sure they don't tap on until a few minutes before the train comes. You don't want to use up the trip time before you even get on the train.

Thanks...that makes sense...although, as you point out, it is a bit tight .....but doable.....I was thinking they would get the 9:20 from Bramlea (arriving at Union at 9:58) then the next train to the Ex (10:41) ....if everything works that arrives at 10:43...so about 37 minutes to spare...problem is that if they miss that 10:41..the next train is at 11:41 so a delayed Bramalea train or a confused teenagers could easily blow that!

Good to know, though, that the system has been designed to allow the free transfer to the Ex.

 

[RedRocket191]

Three thoughts:

1) For someone going to the ex, it doesn't matter if they tap at union or not. The end result will be the same fare charged - just wanted to make that clear.
2) If your trip lasts longer than 2.5 hours then your card will NOT lock. What happens is that any legs which begin after the 2.5 hours is considered a new trip and the base fare will be charged again.
3) Should we really be facilitating an Oshawa to Waterloo trip?

 

[TOareaFan]

Three thoughts:

1) For someone going to the ex, it doesn't matter if they tap at union or not. The end result will be the same fare charged - just wanted to make that clear.

So, using the trip I described above as an example, if you tap off at Union then tap back on and tap off at the Ex the Union to Ex trip will be charged at $0?

 

[Jonny5]

Three thoughts:

1) For someone going to the ex, it doesn't matter if they tap at union or not. The end result will be the same fare charged - just wanted to make that clear.
2) If your trip lasts longer than 2.5 hours then your card will NOT lock. What happens is that any legs which begin after the 2.5 hours is considered a new trip and the base fare will be charged again.
3) Should we really be facilitating an Oshawa to Waterloo trip?

Are you sure? Do you have a published reference source we can refer to? I looked up the "How to use PRESTO with GO" pamphlet, but it doesn't really address this situation. I know my card did lock up when I was over the time limit last year. Maybe they changed this?

As for number 3, I think we should be facilitating all transit trips. Especially ones that relieve the 401.

 

[nfitz]

3) Should we really be facilitating an Oshawa to Waterloo trip?

Given that the Union to Waterloo trip is 2.5 hours - and this is shown on the schedule - shouldn't we be facilitating that?

And why shouldn't we be facilitating such trips ... trips to University campuses will happen.

The Niagara Falls to Union trip is over 2 hours. They've gone out their way to put a Presto machine at the Niagara Falls station - clearly they are anticipating that people will be making that trip. Do we think someone leaving Niagara at 20:40 pm and arriving Union at 22:44 pm is okay ... but then mess them up when they jump on the 23:13 eastbound Lakeshore arriving in Rouge Hill at Danforth at 23:42? All that's involved is 2 Lakeshore trains.

Unless Presto is handling - or can be made to handle - such trips, it's going to be viewed as a failure.

 

[DavidH]

How on earth is that going to work when they expand to GO buses.

Which is happening on Monday, by the way.

 

[RedRocket191]

Which is happening on Monday, by the way.

All, or corridor by corridor?

Are you sure? Do you have a published reference source we can refer to? I looked up the "How to use PRESTO with GO" pamphlet, but it doesn't really address this situation. I know my card did lock up when I was over the time limit last year. Maybe they changed this?

As for number 3, I think we should be facilitating all transit trips. Especially ones that relieve the 401.

My own personal experiences for my first point, a response to a question asked on Facebook for my second point.

 

[DavidH]

All, or corridor by corridor?

All. Every single route. I'd expect an official announcement today or tomorrow but it would take a major disaster to change the date at this point.

GO staff will be fanning out to various stations and terminals on Monday morning to provide information.

The real test will be in September of course once riders have replaced monthly passes with Presto cards. I'm going to wait until the end of the month before I make my decision, frankly; I want to see how smoothly things are going before I commit to switching.

 

[TripleQ]

I was told by a bus driver it was happening on Monday as well. I frequently do the UW -> Union commute (although not for long) so I'll see how it goes. I also have a default trip set, hope there's an override button on the bus equipment!

 

[DavidH]

I was told by a bus driver it was happening on Monday as well. I frequently do the UW -> Union commute (although not for long) so I'll see how it goes. I also have a default trip set, hope there's an override button on the bus equipment!

My understanding is that default trips only apply to trains. For buses, you will ALWAYS have to tap on AND tap off.

 

[rocker]

Question: has anyone successfully had a "senior fare" designation change done on their card?

I bought a Presto card for my father, who is 68. I told him to go to the Go station (as the Presto manual says) and talk to a ticket person about getting the senior designation. He took his card and ID over to the Clarkson GO station, which is just a few minutes' walk away, but the attendant there said she couldn't do it and that it could be done on the website. I checked, but you cannot designate a card as senior on the website. So I called the Presto help number, and the first lady I talked to said "you can only set senior designation at Union Station... he must go with ID and do it there." But then she forwarded me to Metrolinx, where another person took my question, put me on hold, and came back saying "yes, you can go to any station with an attendant (even Clarkson, the one next to me) with ID and get the senior fare set up." I'm gonna give him this info and tell him to go over again and talk to the Clarkson attendant.

This is so damn confusing. I think they should just have the designation setup on the web. If you turn out NOT to be senior you'll get nabbed by the train police anyways. My father never goes to Union and will not be going down there any time soon. As a result, until we get this sorted out, it's costing me a full adult fare for him (I top it up for him, since he has a low income and doesn't know how to use a computer).

 

[Electrify]

To build off of rocker's question, is it possible to get a post-secondary discount setup with Presto? On the Presto website, it only mentions high school students can get a discount. But GO's website says otherwise.

 

[APTA-2048]

To build off of rocker's question, is it possible to get a post-secondary discount setup with Presto? On the Presto website, it only mentions high school students can get a discount. But GO's website says otherwise.

Post secondary fares are available. You still need to cary and show the GO issued student card though. Discount card setup can be done at any GO Station.

 

[Electrify]

Post secondary fares are available. You still need to cary and show the GO issued student card though. Discount card setup can be done at any GO Station.

Since I was going downtown tonight, I stopped by Union and got it setup for student. The lady at the kiosk said though that there is only one student category though. This makes me wonder if when I use it with YRT it will deduct a student fare rather than an adult fare (unlike GO, YRT only offers discounts to high school students and not post-secondary).

 

[RedRocket191]

Since I was going downtown tonight, I stopped by Union and got it setup for student. The lady at the kiosk said though that there is only one student category though. This makes me wonder if when I use it with YRT it will deduct a student fare rather than an adult fare (unlike GO, YRT only offers discounts to high school students and not post-secondary).

This is the fallacy of letting individual agencies set their own transfer rules. Billy is a student in Brampton but not in York... Jimmy has to buy a virtual pass in Hamilton but gets progressive discounts in Burlington... It undermines the whole point of having a unified smart card.