Presto fare system rolls out on TTC buses

By News Staff

The TTC has begun expanding its use of the Presto payment system, with at least 20 buses equipped with the card readers as of Monday morning.

The fare system began to roll out on buses from the Queensway Garage, located on Evans Avenue in Etobicoke.


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Crews will continue at Queensway Garage until buses have the card reader, before moving on to all TTC bus yards around the city.

It’s part of the TTC’s plan to have the entire transit system using Presto by the end of the year.

That includes all of the TTC’s 1,895 buses as well as Wheel-Trans vehicles and subway systems. Presto is already in use on streetcars.

About 1.4 million people already use Presto on GO Transit and seven other regional transit carriers, including Oakville, Mississauga, and Brampton. Presto allows users to tap on to transit vehicles with a smart card pre-loaded with credits. It also allows for easier fare integration across networks.

Currently, the TTC averages around 350,000 Presto card taps per week on streetcars and subways combined.

How does Presto work for transfers?

Last year, TTC spokesman Brad Ross said riders will need to “tap” their Presto card every time they enter a TTC vehicle.

“If it’s the second, third, or fourth vehicle [on the same trip], there won’t be a deduction,” Ross said, but the card will register that a transfer has been made.

There have been, and will continue to be, fare inspectors who will request riders to demonstrate that they’ve paid. That means either showing a paper transfer, “tapping” the Presto card on the fare inspector’s reader, or showing the Metropass.

The TTC is hoping to eliminate token, ticket and Metropass use by the end of 2016.

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