Metrolinx's PRESTO cards can now be used on 100 of the TTC's older streetcars, the transit service announced Thursday.
PRESTO is a card-based fare payment system operated by the Government of Ontario agency Metrolinx, and used across southern Ontario and the Ottawa area. The cards can be reloaded, and allow users to pay transit fares by taping the card to an electronic reader.
Fare card readers are now working on 100 of the city's older streetcars and all of its new streetcars, officials announced at a news conference.
The readers are expected to be enabled on the entire fleet by the end of the month, Metrolinx said.
The day before the announcement, the TTC board met to discuss a report on changes to price structure. Among the options are eliminating senior and student discounts, leaving only the PRESTO discount, to encourage riders to use the card. The transit board is also considering a card-only system on buses, and implementation of peak and off-peak pricing.
The TTC said previously that it plans to phase out tickets and tokens in favour of the cards by 2017.
