TTC & Metrolinx Could Be Giving Riders Virtual PRESTO Cards By Late 2022
Here's what that means.
If you're a commuter who's been dreaming of digital PRESTO cards, 2022 could be your year.
This week, the TTC provided details on a proposed plan with Metrolinx to enable "Open Payments" 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, including those from their mobile wallets.
However, perhaps the most relevant of the changes is introducing a virtual PRESTO card, which would 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 a report to the TTC board 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.
PRESTO said it found a moderate-to-high degree of interest in the concept in research it conducted.
"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 report concluded.