TTC customers could catch a glimpse of a new kind of Presto card this month.Starting Tuesday, Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency that owns the fare card system now deployed across the TTC, will be performing field tests of disposable, âlimited-useâ Presto tickets at two subway stations.The limited-use tickets are designed to allow customers to pay for single rides, round trips or day passes without buying a permanent Presto card, and arenât expected to be available to the public until June 2019. Metrolinx employees will perform the tests at St. Clair West and Union subway stations by loading Presto vending machines with the new tickets and then using them on TTC fare gates. Customers wonât be able to purchase the tickets during the tests, which are scheduled to last until the end of the month.But the tests mark a key milestone for the TTCâs transition to Presto. Thatâs because limited-use tickets are necessary to help ensure customers who donât have a permanent Presto card can still use the subway system once other forms of payment are phased out. âThe introduction of the single ride ticket is an important piece in the Presto rollout at the TTC,â said TTC spokesperson Heather Brown. Read more:Internal TTC briefing slams Prestoâs âcontinued performance below targetsâ Hereâs what went wrong when a boy was left stranded because of a Presto-card glitchOntarioâs Presto costs soar to $1.2 billionâIt provides our customers, especially infrequent customers or visitors to the city, with another option to pay their fare. It is also the product we are waiting for before we can stop selling TTC tickets and tokens.âThe TTC intends to complete the switch to Presto at the end of 2019, when the agency will stop accepting tickets and tokens. It will also stop accepting direct cash payments at subway stations â customers using cash for a single fare will have to buy a limit ...
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