ONE CARD TO RULE THEM ALL

PRESTO, a state-of-the-art electronic fare payment system, enables students to travel seamlessly across 11 transit agencies in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and Ottawa, all with a single smart card.

The system stores funds in a secure account, replacing the need for tickets, tokens, passes or cash. When the card is tapped on a fare payment device, a chip embedded in the card calculates the fare and deducts it from the user’s account, or verifies if he or she has a weekly or monthly pass. PRESTO lets you add money to your account in person, online or direct debit, and the card can be registered to protect funds if a card is lost or stolen. Self-serve reload machines are located at select locations, including Union Station.

It’s how Arshia Sultan rolls. The third-year international studies major at York University uses GO Transit and the TTC to get from her home in Ajax to classes at the Glendon campus (at Bayview and Lawrence) and the Keele campus at Steeles Ave. and Keele St.

“It takes me about an hour, which isn’t too bad, since I’ve always found the GO bus to be super comfy and relaxing,” she says.

PRESTO is being used by GO Transit, Brampton Transit, Burlington Transit, Durham Region Transit, Hamilton Street Railway, MiWay, Oakville Transit, OC Transpo, York Region Transit/Viva, as well on the UP Express. As for the TTC? It’s in 26 TTC subway stations now and will be system-wide by the end of 2016. PRESTO is on all new streetcars and will be enabled on older streetcars by the end of 2015.