Ontario Transit Getting A Boost
Posted September 9, 2010 7:51 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Ontario transit is getting a big boost, with more cities added to the Presto system.
But there’s one town that isn’t on board: Toronto.
At Union Station on Thursday morning, Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne urged the TTC to join. So far, chair Adam Giambrone has neither accepted nor rejected the transit body’s proposal.
Giambrone said the TTC would need to see a lot more funding from the province before it accepted Presto. It would cost $400 million to implement an electronic fare collection system, cash the TTC just doesn’t have.
Presto is a regional transit fare card and it operates on a declining-balance system. The smart card will eventually be used throughout Hamilton, the GTA, and even Ottawa.
It means riders don’t need cash or tokens to enter transit systems, just the card.
Brampton and Mississauga transit as well as GO’s Lakeshore East station are supposed to begin accepting the Presto Card this fall.
TTC subway stations that connect with GO Transit, including Don Mills, Downsview, Finch, Islington, and Union, will also accept the Presto pass, but the transit commission isn’t completely on board.
In July, Giambrone issued a request for proposals for a new fare payment system that would allow transit riders to swipe or tap a credit or debit card and, possibly, a chip-enabled cellphone to ride the rocket and load up transit passes.
