TTC riders can tap credit and debit cards to pay soon

The TTC says that transit riders will finally be able to start using credit cards and debit cards to pay for their trips.

As of Tuesday, Aug. 15, riders will be able to tap Presto terminals with their credit or debit cards to pay for an adult Presto fare ($3.30). That includes payment cards loaded onto a smartphone or smartwatch.

People can use the card they tapped with to transfer within the two-hour window without being charged again. However those with a seniors or youth discount will still need to use a Presto card to pay the discounted fare.

The announcement was made at a news conference with members from all levels of government Thursday morning.

“Safe, reliable and convenient transit is vitally important to the success of our vibrant city,” TTC CEO Rick Leary said. “It's considered in every decision that we make and every discussion that we have. So I look forward to those positive impacts that this new payment option is going to have on the TTC and most importantly, the TTC’s customers.”

Riders have been asking for the ability to pay their fare with a credit or debit card for over a decade, a feature already enjoyed by transit users in cities like New York. City officials first asked for the feature prior to the implementation of the Presto card system by the province in 2009.

In addition to adding convenience for customers, the move could help bolster ridership on the transit system, which has been down since the pandemic, resulting in major revenue losses for the city.

Leary said that there are positive signs that ridership is coming back, even if it looks a bit different.

“While the average weekday boardings stayed at roughly 78 per cent of pre-COVID levels, ridership among less frequent customers — and that's those that ride the TTC four times a week or less — stands at 118 per cent of pre-COVID levels,” Leary said of the latest ridership data. “And that's exciting because what that tells us is ridership looks different, but people are returning to the TTC.

“Now giving customers more convenient options to purchase a single use adult fare will continue to attract more riders to the TTC, into public transit in general in the GTHA.”

Credit and debit payments were recently piloted on GO Transit, the UP Express, and a number of other transit systems in the 905. However officials had said that the TTC, as the largest transit system in the province, would need to go last to ensure as smooth a rollout as possible.

The province rolled out the Presto fare card system in 2009.

Critics have long said that the system can be confusing, especially for visitors to the city, and that it should have allowed people to pay using credit or debit card from the beginning.

The Presto system now has 4.7 million users, according to the province. The price of a Presto card was recently lowered from $6 to $4.

More details about the new system can be found on the Presto website.