Frequently asked questions about using PRESTO on the TTC
Q. Where can I buy a PRESTO card?
You can purchase a PRESTO card online at prestocard.ca, from select Gateway Newsstands in various subway stations, from TTC Pass Vending Machines at Union, Queen’s Park and Main Street subway stations, from the TTC’s Customer Service Centre at Davisville Station, or from other transit agencies Customer Service Outlets across the GTA.
Q. How much does a PRESTO card cost?
PRESTO cards purchased from TTC Pass Vending Machines cost $20 and are pre-loaded with $14 in fare and the $6 issuing fee.
Q. How do I load money onto my PRESTO card?
You can load your card in the following ways:
Online at prestocard.ca. Online PRESTO loads may take up to 24 hours to be processed. Autoload – automatically loads money to your card whenever your balance falls below a set minimum balance chosen by you. If your card is registered, you can establish an Autoload contract using your credit card or bank account. By phone at 1-877-6123 (follow 7-1-1 for TTY) or 1-800-855-0511, provided the card is registered and a Requested Reload agreement is in place. PRESTO loads may take up to 24 hours to be processed In person at the Customer Service Centre at Davisville Station, 1900 Yonge St, or at one of the Self-Serve Reload Machines located in the following subway stations: o Bathurst o Bloor-Yonge o Broadview o College o Davisville o Dundas o Dundas West o Finch o Islington o King o Kipling o Main Street o Museum o Osgoode o Queen o Queen’s Park o Scarborough Centre o Sheppard-Yonge o Spadina
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o St Andrew o St George o St Patrick o Union o York Mills
Q. How do I register my card and why should I do so?
You can register your card online at prestocard.ca. Registration has many benefits. Registered PRESTO cards can be replaced if lost or stolen and the cash balance will be restored. Only registered cardholders will be able to access their Public Transit Usage Statement online to help with a claim for the Federal Public Transit Tax Credit. Registering your card also means that you can take advantage of the Autoload feature, which means there is always money on your card. You can drop to a negative balance to pay any single fare if you don’t have enough money loaded on the card. You will be charged a $0.25 fee once your card goes into a negative balance and you will need to load money in order to use it for further travel.
Q. What do I do if my card is lost or stolen?
Visit a Customer Service Outlet or contact 1-877-378-6123 immediately (Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.). If your card is registered your money is protected. Your card will be cancelled and your money will be transferred to a new card. You are responsible for any costs incurred on your card up to the first 24 hours after reporting its loss. You will need to pay the $6 fee for a new card.
Q. Where can I use a PRESTO card?
PRESTO can be used at subway stations with PRESTO card readers, on all TTC streetcars and on some TTC buses. It can also be used on GO Transit, Union Person Express, eight other Greater Toronto Area transit agencies, and on OC Transpo in Ottawa. For a list of the TTC subway stations that have PRESTO visit ttc.ca/presto.
Q. What fare will I be charged?
The adult fare is $2.90, senior/student is $1.95 and kids still ride for free! To be charged a discounted fare, i.e. senior or student, you will need to have a concession applied to your card. You can do this by visiting the TTC’s Customer Service Centre at Davisville Station, 1900 Yonge St.
Q. How do I pay my fare on the TTC using a PRESTO card?
At a subway station: Tap your card on the PRESTO card reader on top of the fare gate and proceed through the open paddles or through the turnstile. If your journey includes a bus, take a transfer from the transfer machine in the station.
On a new streetcar Tap your card on a PRESTO card at any of the four doorways.
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If you are transferring to a bus, tap your card again at one of the two Fares and Transfers Machines near the centre doors to receive a Proof-of-Payment (POP) receipt, which can be used as a transfer.
On a legacy streetcar Tap your card on a PRESTO card reader at any of the four doorways. If you are transferring to a bus, tap your card at the front door and request a transfer from the operator. On a bus: PRESTO will be rolled out on buses and Wheel-Trans over 2016. PRESTO card holders should carry tokens or exact cash in case the bus that arrives does not have PRESTO.
Standard transfer rules apply.
Q. How does the TTC know I paid my fare?
When you tap your card on a PRESTO card reader, your fare is deducted. Transit Fare Inspectors can check your PRESTO card with a hand-held device. The other way the TTC knows that you paid your fare is by showing your POP receipt (transfer), which you obtain from a station or on the streetcar and needs to be used when you are transferring to a bus.
Q. I have a Metropass. Should I get a PRESTO card?
Not yet. Watch the website (ttc.ca/presto) for more information.
Q. When will TTC passes and daily maximums be available on PRESTO?
These details are still being worked out. We will let our customers know, with plenty of notice, when they should switch to a PRESTO card.
Q. Will I still get a receipt for tax purposes?
Yes. As long as your PRESTO card is registered your monthly pass will still be eligible for tax deduction.
Q. When will tokens and tickets stop being accepted?
Tokens and tickets will be accepted until the middle of 2017. By the end of 2016, however, customers will need to begin to transition to PRESTO.
Q. When will PRESTO be on the buses and Wheel-Trans?
PRESTO card readers are being installed on TTC buses now. The installation on buses will be phased in over eight months and buses will be put into service the morning after a PRESTO device has been installed. By the end of 2016, PRESTO will be available across the TTC’s bus and Wheel-Trans fleet. During this transition, you should carry tokens or exact cash, in case your bus or Wheel-Trans bus does not have PRESTO yet.
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Q. How was the installation schedule determined?
Queensway is our smallest bus garage, providing an opportunity to discover and correct issues prior to roll-out across the TTC. It also aligns with the PRESTO fare gate roll-out, which is taking place at the 41 remaining subway stations that do not have PRESTO. The fare gate roll-out is concentrating on stations serviced by streetcars, and stations in the downtown core first, moving to the remaining stations so that all subway stations, buses and TTC Wheel-Trans vehicles will have PRESTO by the end of 2016.
Q: How many buses are being equipped each night?
On average, 10 buses a night are being equipped with PRESTO devices. Once these buses have card readers installed they are activated and ready for service.
Q. With card readers at the front and back of the bus, does this mean I can board at the backdoor?
No. All-door boarding is not available on buses —only streetcars. The only time you can board through the backdoors, other than in a station is if the bus is a shuttle bus or if it has replaced a streetcar. You must board the bus at the front doors and take a paper transfer from the operator if your journey involves another bus.
Q. How will I know when a bus has PRESTO?
Buses that have PRESTO card readers on them will have a PRESTO ready card in the front window of the bus. If the bus does not have this card, it does not have PRESTO readers on it.
Q. When should I take a transfer?
If you are a PRESTO card user and are planning on taking another bus or entering a subway station that does not have PRESTO you should take a paper transfer from the operator after tapping your card.
Q. Will buses be rolled out by routes or individually?
They will be rolled out individually. If you are a PRESTO card holder you should be prepared to pay your fare with tokens or exact cash, in case your bus does not have PRESTO.
Q. Why wouldn’t you roll buses out route by route instead of individually?
The installation at each garage will be faster if buses are done individually instead of by route. Buses are not allocated to specific routes on a day-to-day basis.
Q. How long will it take before multiple routes have PRESTO available?
It will take a few months and a few bus divisions before multiple routes have buses with PRESTO available on them. We are committed to installing devices as quickly as possible. We will let you know as soon as we have multiple routes available. We anticipate that this will happen early this summer.
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Q. When will PRESTO be available on Wheel-Trans?
PRESTO devices will be installed on Wheel-Trans vehicles later this summer. They will also rollout individually.
Q. Will contracted Wheel-Trans taxis have Presto?
Yes. Wheel-Trans taxis will have PRESTO by the end of 2016.
Q. Do I need to tap on a bus if I have already tapped into a subway station?
No. But you will need to tap again if you board another bus with PRESTO or enter another PRESTO- enabled subway station. You should get a transfer from the subway station.
Q. How will operators know if my fare has been accepted from my PRESTO card?
The light at the top of the screen will be green and there will be a check mark on the card reader. The reader will emit an audible beep.
Q. How will operators know if I have a student / senior concession fare on my PRESTO card?
The light at the top of the screen will be yellow and there will be a check mark on the card reader. The reader will emit two beeps.
Q. How will operators know if my PRESTO card has been declined?
The light at the top of the screen will be red and there will be an X on the card reader. The reader will emit a horn-like sound.
Q. What happens if my PRESTO card is declined?
Operators will ask you to tap your card on the reader at the back of the bus. If your card is declined again you will need to pay by token or exact cash.
Q. What if the PRESTO card readers are out-of-service on a bus?
If all PRESTO card readers are out-of-service, you will be allowed to board and asked to tap your PRESTO card on the next bus or at a subway station.
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