TTC & Metrolinx Could Be Giving Riders Virtual PRESTO Cards By Late 2022
Here's what that means.
If you're a true commuter who's been dreaming of digital PRESTO cards since metro passes, 2022 could be your year.
This week, the TTC board provided details on its proposed team up with Metrolinx to install an "Open Payments" system on the transit system this year.
If the project is accepted, transit riders will see the installation of several exciting changes, including the ability to pay fares with contactless credit/debit cards and smart tickets/transfers via their mobile wallets.
However, perhaps the most relevant of the changes is introducing the virtual PRESTO card, which will allow customers to tap and pay using a smartphone.
"For more tech-comfortable customers, virtual cards will provide a smartphone-based experience with many similarities to the physical PRESTO card, including the ability to maintain a transit funds account that is separate from other spending," an excerpt from the report reads.
And, you'll even be able to use it without Wi-Fi or a charged battery.
"Importantly, PRESTO in Mobile Wallet does not require an internet connection to travel, and even enables travel for a few hours with a drained battery," it adds.
The move appears to be a no-brainer for PRESTO, which claims they found a moderate-to-high degree of interest in the concept during their testing and research of what people found to be inadequate service.
"There is also clear demand for the product expressed in the PRESTO Customer Satisfaction survey in fall 2020. 12% of respondents answering how they would improve the PRESTO mobile app requested some sort of virtual card unprompted," the statement concludes.