Presto to be rolled out across TTC by end of 2016

Transit riders will be able to skip the tokens and pay with Presto on all TTC vehicles by the end of 2016, Mayor John Tory told Breakfast Television on Wednesday.

The Presto system will be implemented at least a year ahead of schedule, with all streetcars fitted with Presto readers by the end of 2015 and all other vehicles and subway stations accepting cards by the end of 2016.

TTC CEO Andy Byford said Presto will make a “massive difference” to the speed and ease of buying tickets on the TTC.

“When we get Presto in it will mean no more tickets, no more transfers, no more tokens and no more line ups,” Byford said.

“All you have to do is tap on the reader and you’re good to go.”

The TTC had originally planned to phase-in Presto with the new streetcars, but have decided to install the readers on the older fleet as well.

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.

Unlike the Presto readers Metrolinx installed on GO Transit, the TTC’s Presto machines can accept “open payment,” so users can pay with their credit card, debit card, or smart phone rather than requiring a Presto smart-card. However, that functionality may not be available right away.

Deputy mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong criticized Metrolinx, the provincial agency overseeing the implementation of the Presto system across Ontario, for foisting an expensive system on the TTC.

“We now have it,” Minnan-Wong said.

“It’s had some real growing pains in other cities, and hopefully we don’t have those problems in the City of Toronto.”

By the end of this year, 12 more subway stations will be equipped with Presto readers, bringing the total to 26.

Buses will be done by summer 2016, and the remaining subway stations by the end of that year.