File:PRESTO card.png | |
Location | Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA); Ottawa |
---|---|
Launched | Fall 2009 |
Technology | |
Operator | Accenture |
Manager | PRESTO System Project |
Currency | CAD ($320 maximum load) |
Stored-value | e-Purse |
Credit expiry | None |
Auto recharge | Autoload |
Validity | |
Retailed |
|
Website | http://prestocard.ca/ |
The Presto card (corporately styled PRESTO card, and originally known as the GTA Farecard) is a smartcard-based fare payment system for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and Ottawa. The system was trialled from June 25, 2007 to September 30, 2008. Full implementation began in November 2009 and will be rolled out across the province in stages. The province has announced an agreement with Accenture to implement the card system. [1]
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO), together with GO Transit, Ottawa’s OC Transpo, and eight municipal transit partners within the GTHA have undertaken the design, development and implementation of a seamless regional transit farecard system (Presto) based on contactless (“Smartcard”) technology.
The Presto system is designed to support the use of one common farecard for fare payment on the various participating public transit systems. Presto will allow customers to ride on any participating transit system without pre-purchasing tickets or passes and without needing to know the fare policies of each system in advance. The Presto card, which is the size of a gift or debit card, will use “stored-value” in the form of a common electronic purse (e-Purse) as the medium for all fare payment transactions in addition to cash. Electronic readers will scan the customer’s Presto card (which contains a passive RFID chip within the card) as they board their public transit vehicle or enter a station calculating the correct fare and deducting it from their card balance - all within one-third of a second. Unlike paper tickets or passes, the card is made of durable plastic for extended use. The system will also allow customers the choice of loading their Presto card with cash value via preauthorized (autoload) payments, by telephone, Internet and at selected retails outlets. Customers with “registered” cards will be able to replace the value on a lost or stolen card, unlike tickets, tokens, passes or cash.
The Presto system will provide transit participants with centralized farecard procurement, initialization and distribution, reporting services, revenue clearing and settlement, customer call centre and Internet services, maintenance and support and Third Party Sales Agency Management.
The Presto system will provide the following customer and transit system benefits:
In July 2007, 500 commuters who normally commuted from Meadowvale and Cooksville GO stations in Mississauga to Union Station in downtown Toronto received a free card and tried the system under a trial termed "Launch 1". [2]Mississauga has a neighbourhood shuttle service in Meadowvale and Cooksville to transport passengers to GO Transit. Consequently, officials thought it would be the perfect environment to test the fare system. During the Launch 1 trial, the Presto card could be used at:
The Launch 1 trial concluded September 30, 2008. [3]
Starting in fall 2009 the Presto card will be introduced in stages, as shown in the following table: [4]
Stage | Date | GO Transit | TTC | Other systems |
---|---|---|---|---|
One (field trial) |
November 30, 2009 | Union, Oakville, and Bronte stations | Union subway station | Three bus routes (22, 32, 110) on Oakville Transit |
Two | May 2010 [5] |
Lakeshore West rail line:
|
Bloor-Yonge, College, Dundas, Queen's Park, St. George and St. Patrick subway stations | May 10: Oakville Transit, Burlington Transit |
Summer 2010 |
Lakeshore West rail line:
Georgetown and Milton rail lines [6] |
Islington and Kipling subway stations | ||
Three | Fall 2010 [7] | Lakeshore East, Barrie and Richmond Hill Rail lines and associated bus routes, Lakeshore West and Airport buses | Don Mills, Downsview and Finch subway stations | Brampton Transit and Mississauga Transit |
Early 2011 [7] | Stouffville rail line and all remaining GO Bus routes | York Region Transit, Durham Region Transit, and Hamilton Street Railway | ||
Four | Late 2011 [7] | OC Transpo |
While all other transit systems in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area will have the card fully implemented, [8] the Toronto Transit Commission has at present only committed to implement the Presto System at twelve of its major subway stations. As a large number of commuters in the GTHA use the TTC, the full implementation of Presto within the TTC would greatly benefit the usability of the farecard. The TTC has approved the use of a smartcard system [9] and is working with Presto in addressing the TTC’s business requirements for “full” system participation. [10] An initial funding allocation of $140 million has been earmarked by the provincial and federal governments and the City of Toronto, however the TTC has estimated in its 2009-2013 budget that the project would take $365 million to complete. [11]
The first stage of the production rollout schedule launched on November 30, 2009 and included a limited number of recruited customers to test the system. [12] Stage 1 included Oakville, Bronte and Union GO Stations, TTC Union Station Subway, and ten Oakville Transit buses on three routes.
The second stage of the production rollout schedule launched on May 10, 2010. In this stage, the PRESTO System became available to the general public and transit users were able to purchase PRESTO cards and use them at participating stations and transit systems. Stage two launched similar to stage one, but with full participation from Oakville Transit and Burlington Transit. GO Transit continues its system-wide rollout, with the Lakeshore East, Milton and Georgetown lines coming online at a rate of a few stations a week. The Toronto Transit Commission also added 6 downtown stations (St. George, Queen’s Park, St. Patrick, Dundas, College, Bloor/Yonge) to the PRESTO System, with 2 additional stations (Kipling and Islington) slated for summer 2010. The third stage of the production rollout schedule is scheduled for fall of 2010 and will bring more transit systems and stations into the PRESTO System.
The cards will be available at transit depots, over the phone and online for $6. [13] At the time of receiving the card, a minimum money value of $10 must be loaded into the card. Beginning in Stage 3, cardholders will also be able to load passes (for up to three transit systems at a time) on to their Presto card. When boarding, riders tap the prepaid card, embedded with an RFID chip, on to a reader. The reader will then check for either a valid transit pass, or automatically deduct the lowest available fare from the card. Loyalty programs are also available on some transit systems, where frequent use of the system results in greater discounts on fare payment.
The fact that the Presto card works on multiple transit systems is only one of its advantages:
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cite web}}
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Category:Contactless smartcards Category:Fare collection systems
File:PRESTO card.png | |
Location | Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA); Ottawa |
---|---|
Launched | Fall 2009 |
Technology | |
Operator | Accenture |
Manager | PRESTO System Project |
Currency | CAD ($320 maximum load) |
Stored-value | e-Purse |
Credit expiry | None |
Auto recharge | Autoload |
Validity | |
Retailed |
|
Website | http://prestocard.ca/ |
The Presto card (corporately styled PRESTO card, and originally known as the GTA Farecard) is a smartcard-based fare payment system for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and Ottawa. The system was trialled from June 25, 2007 to September 30, 2008. Full implementation began in November 2009 and will be rolled out across the province in stages. The province has announced an agreement with Accenture to implement the card system. [1]
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO), together with GO Transit, Ottawa’s OC Transpo, and eight municipal transit partners within the GTHA have undertaken the design, development and implementation of a seamless regional transit farecard system (Presto) based on contactless (“Smartcard”) technology.
The Presto system is designed to support the use of one common farecard for fare payment on the various participating public transit systems. Presto will allow customers to ride on any participating transit system without pre-purchasing tickets or passes and without needing to know the fare policies of each system in advance. The Presto card, which is the size of a gift or debit card, will use “stored-value” in the form of a common electronic purse (e-Purse) as the medium for all fare payment transactions in addition to cash. Electronic readers will scan the customer’s Presto card (which contains a passive RFID chip within the card) as they board their public transit vehicle or enter a station calculating the correct fare and deducting it from their card balance - all within one-third of a second. Unlike paper tickets or passes, the card is made of durable plastic for extended use. The system will also allow customers the choice of loading their Presto card with cash value via preauthorized (autoload) payments, by telephone, Internet and at selected retails outlets. Customers with “registered” cards will be able to replace the value on a lost or stolen card, unlike tickets, tokens, passes or cash.
The Presto system will provide transit participants with centralized farecard procurement, initialization and distribution, reporting services, revenue clearing and settlement, customer call centre and Internet services, maintenance and support and Third Party Sales Agency Management.
The Presto system will provide the following customer and transit system benefits:
In July 2007, 500 commuters who normally commuted from Meadowvale and Cooksville GO stations in Mississauga to Union Station in downtown Toronto received a free card and tried the system under a trial termed "Launch 1". [2]Mississauga has a neighbourhood shuttle service in Meadowvale and Cooksville to transport passengers to GO Transit. Consequently, officials thought it would be the perfect environment to test the fare system. During the Launch 1 trial, the Presto card could be used at:
The Launch 1 trial concluded September 30, 2008. [3]
Starting in fall 2009 the Presto card will be introduced in stages, as shown in the following table: [4]
Stage | Date | GO Transit | TTC | Other systems |
---|---|---|---|---|
One (field trial) |
November 30, 2009 | Union, Oakville, and Bronte stations | Union subway station | Three bus routes (22, 32, 110) on Oakville Transit |
Two | May 2010 [5] |
Lakeshore West rail line:
|
Bloor-Yonge, College, Dundas, Queen's Park, St. George and St. Patrick subway stations | May 10: Oakville Transit, Burlington Transit |
Summer 2010 |
Lakeshore West rail line:
Georgetown and Milton rail lines [6] |
Islington and Kipling subway stations | ||
Three | Fall 2010 [7] | Lakeshore East, Barrie and Richmond Hill Rail lines and associated bus routes, Lakeshore West and Airport buses | Don Mills, Downsview and Finch subway stations | Brampton Transit and Mississauga Transit |
Early 2011 [7] | Stouffville rail line and all remaining GO Bus routes | York Region Transit, Durham Region Transit, and Hamilton Street Railway | ||
Four | Late 2011 [7] | OC Transpo |
While all other transit systems in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area will have the card fully implemented, [8] the Toronto Transit Commission has at present only committed to implement the Presto System at twelve of its major subway stations. As a large number of commuters in the GTHA use the TTC, the full implementation of Presto within the TTC would greatly benefit the usability of the farecard. The TTC has approved the use of a smartcard system [9] and is working with Presto in addressing the TTC’s business requirements for “full” system participation. [10] An initial funding allocation of $140 million has been earmarked by the provincial and federal governments and the City of Toronto, however the TTC has estimated in its 2009-2013 budget that the project would take $365 million to complete. [11]
The first stage of the production rollout schedule launched on November 30, 2009 and included a limited number of recruited customers to test the system. [12] Stage 1 included Oakville, Bronte and Union GO Stations, TTC Union Station Subway, and ten Oakville Transit buses on three routes.
The second stage of the production rollout schedule launched on May 10, 2010. In this stage, the PRESTO System became available to the general public and transit users were able to purchase PRESTO cards and use them at participating stations and transit systems. Stage two launched similar to stage one, but with full participation from Oakville Transit and Burlington Transit. GO Transit continues its system-wide rollout, with the Lakeshore East, Milton and Georgetown lines coming online at a rate of a few stations a week. The Toronto Transit Commission also added 6 downtown stations (St. George, Queen’s Park, St. Patrick, Dundas, College, Bloor/Yonge) to the PRESTO System, with 2 additional stations (Kipling and Islington) slated for summer 2010. The third stage of the production rollout schedule is scheduled for fall of 2010 and will bring more transit systems and stations into the PRESTO System.
The cards will be available at transit depots, over the phone and online for $6. [13] At the time of receiving the card, a minimum money value of $10 must be loaded into the card. Beginning in Stage 3, cardholders will also be able to load passes (for up to three transit systems at a time) on to their Presto card. When boarding, riders tap the prepaid card, embedded with an RFID chip, on to a reader. The reader will then check for either a valid transit pass, or automatically deduct the lowest available fare from the card. Loyalty programs are also available on some transit systems, where frequent use of the system results in greater discounts on fare payment.
The fact that the Presto card works on multiple transit systems is only one of its advantages:
{{
cite web}}
: Check date values in: |accessdate=
and |date=
(
help)
Category:Contactless smartcards Category:Fare collection systems