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Metrolinx: Presto Fare Card

I think they indicated that a future phase (not next phase) of Presto "could" accept open payment. It would be more custom software development of course and at least the bus readers would need replacement or upgrade since they are not on the network which is a basic requirement of taking payments. Metrolinx has not yet confirmed if the readers are ISO 14443 A/B compliant readers so maybe even all of them need replacing.
 
Coruscanti Cognoscente said:
IIRC the next phase of Presto will accept open payment, so I think it's a moot point.
Click to expand...

No, it's wasted money. Why spend so much money to build a proprietary system when you're just going to expand it to Debit/Credit NFC, at which point nobody will need the Presto card? Just jump straight to open payment.
 
MetroMan said:
No, it's wasted money. Why spend so much money to build a proprietary system when you're just going to expand it to Debit/Credit NFC, at which point nobody will need the Presto card? Just jump straight to open payment.
Click to expand...

I think most people don't want to pay with their debit or credit card. I like the idea of having a card specifically for transit (assuming it works as easily as it should)
 
Coruscanti Cognoscente said:
I think most people don't want to pay with their debit or credit card. I like the idea of having a card specifically for transit (assuming it works as easily as it should)
Click to expand...

But how would you get money onto the transit card without getting it from a bank account or credit card? What benefit is the extra step?
 
I think that kids and foreigners without valid credit cards/cell phones can find the cards very handy.

Also, sometimes if you want to go out to a sketchy area you take just cash and your transit card and that's it.
 
Voltz said:
Why would people not want to use a card they already have?
Click to expand...
I could upload the total amount I expect to pay for transit on my Presto card at the beginning of the month and only face one "transaction fee" from my bank, or pay automatically each time I board a vehicle and incur the fee at least twice daily (more like 4-10 times each). Also having to fumble with my credit/debit card each time I get on a vehicle gives me more opportunities to drop it (a minimal risk however still greater than I have to deal with Presto).
 
I'd imagine an OpenPayment system would work similar to a service like iTunes - your usage is tied to an 'account' (either explicitly created for frequent users or ad-hoc based on card #), usage is tracked and then billing happens after a set period of time. (Daily or weekly)
 
An open payment system can still carry an account balance the same way. When I buy an airline ticket online with a credit card I can go to the airport and use the kiosk to print my boarding pass by inserting the credit card I used to pay for it. There is no need to charge every time a card is scanned with either system.
 
Coruscanti Cognoscente said:
Oy. You would think this would be very easy to set up considering it's already been done so many times in the world.
Click to expand...

We rolled our own and are experiencing the same problems as most other systems have.

It took roughly 7 years of operation to work out all of the kinks in Oyster cards.

Should have been using a prebuild system which has been proven to scale out and solved these technical issues (such as nearly any Open Payment based system). Vancouver, again, did something very well that we have done pretty poorly.
 
Just had a look at GO's web page. Kudos to them for implementing the various discounts based on how many rides you take in a month. Unfortunately though, they still use calendar months as opposed to any 30 day period as initiated by the date of your first ride.

Once the TTC implements this on all routes, I would hope that they are more flexible. For weekly passes especially, I'm hoping that the pass can be valid for any 7 day period, and that you can have the option of loading it with the exact cost of a weekly pass. I would also hope that they ditch the purchasing fee or allow free temporary passes like in Montreal. I have some friends visiting the city soon, and they'll be outta luck since their 5 day visit spans 2 weekly pass cycles! Hopefully Presto can fix this.
 
DC Metro looks to move beyond smart cards?

I visit DC every one or two years, and was there for the holidays. I just finished my last Metro fare card (paper with a magnetic stripe introduced to a turnstile at entry and exit). It does not work for buses, so I was eager to move on to my 'permanent' plastic fare card to get the free/discounted transfers.
The article below says the SmarTrip card has been in use for more than a decade, but I only got mine two years ago and even then it was available for purchase only in select stations. Now it's ubiquitous but feels like that ubiquity (?) is only recently achieved. (Last week I saw ads stating separate bus passes are now officially passé, in favour of the smart cards).
I was unable to use the SmartTrip card on MARC commuter trains, nor was it compatible with nearby Baltimore transit lines.
(Bold is mine)

Posted at 12:08 PM ET, 12/30/2010
Metro seeks SmarTrip replacement
By Ann Scott Tyson

Metro moved ahead on Thursday with a plan to develop a new electronic fare payment system that will allow customers to use chip-enabled credit and debit cards, federal ID cards, smart phones and other methods to pay their fares.

Metro issued a request for proposals to find a vendor in 2011 to create the new system, which will include new gate hardware on the rail system and fare payment devices on buses.

The current SmarTrip system, which started nearly 12 years ago and now has 1.8 million cards in use, will stay in operation until the new system is up and running. The new system will also allow for the use of SmarTrip cards.

Metro has only a limited supply of SmarTrip cards, estimated to last two years, and the cards are no longer being manufactured. In the fall, Metro had to abandon a plan to cut the price of the cards out of concern it could lead customers to purchase large numbers of them and increase the possibility Metro would run out.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dr...o_seeks_vendor_for_new_far.html?hpid=newswell
 
Does anybody know where I can find info on the state of the rollout? I am also wondering what the status on implementations beyond GO (like on OC Transpo for example).
 
kEiThZ said:
Does anybody know where I can find info on the state of the rollout? I am also wondering what the status on implementations beyond GO (like on OC Transpo for example).
Click to expand...

Well, the current public schedule is here.
Coming in December 2010/January 2011:
GO Transit
All Georgetown and Lakeshore East GO Rail Stations

Coming in Winter/Spring 2011:
GO Transit
All Barrie, Richmond Hill and Stouffville GO Rail Stations
All GO Bus Routes

Brampton Transit
Mississauga Transit
Durham Region Transit
York Region Transit
Hamilton Street Railway

Toronto Transit Commission
Finch Subway Station

Coming in Late 2011:
Ottawa's OC Transpo System
Click to expand...

As for actual details on the status of work, I haven't seen much of anything. Your best bet is to monitor reports to OC Transpo for status details.
 
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