ANSWERS TO YOUR FARE ANXIETY

Privately operated light rail lines won’t mean a fare hike for users once the project is completed, says Metrolinx. The Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown, Sheppard and Finch light rail routes will be accessible via current TTC lines and work within the system already in place. But the privatepublic mishmash has caused confusion about fares and transfers. Here’s what will change and stay the same: Will there be two separate fares?

Early indications point to a big “no” on this. Metrolinx says the TTC fare system will prevail once the Eglinton line is running. That means one fare to travel anywhere. You would use a token, ticket or Presto card to board a bus and enter directly into the LRT station the same way bus riders access subway stations on the Bloor-Danforth line. How does the private partner running the Eglinton Crosstown get paid? The fare distribution between the TTC, Metrolinx and a private operator would likely be split based on passenger load rather than distance travelled. Because the electronic Presto farecard is expected to be widely used on the TTC by 2015, it’s likely riders would tap their cards on a Presto reader upon boarding or at transfer points.

What is Presto and how will work with the new system? Presto is the farecard system now used by GO transit, most GTA transit systems outside Toronto and at some TTC stations. Basically, Presto users electronically pre-load their cards with money. When they use transit they scan their cards at dedicated readers near the station entrance, and then again as they exit. The fare is deducted from the pre-loaded cards. Metrolinx hopes to have Presto on all TTC vehicles and in stations by the 2015 Pan Am Games.

But what about the TTC fare system?

There will probably always be Presto alternatives, including cash. There’s no indication the TTC would discontinue its own fare structure, just as most GTA transit systems have theirs.