By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON February 22, 2011 – The province had a great idea to use technology to make it easier for transit riders to move from system to system. Get a Presto card, swipe it at Aldershot and swipe it again at Union station and your trip is a seamless one.
The technology can do all that – BUT as we all know, it seldom works out quite the way it was supposed to the first time. Burlington and Oakville were early adopters of the system – early adopters is a name for the guys who ride in front and have to handle all the mistakes and the cost over runs. And there have been cost over runs.
- Don’t leave home without it – and don’t lose it.
It was billed as the latest in smart card technology, it’s the size of a debit card, made of durable plastic and fits easily into your wallet, purse or pocket. No need to dig around searching for tickets or tokens. You just have to dig around to find the Presto card amongst the dozen or so you already have. No need to buy whole new fares when transferring transit systems. Just Tap your card on the reader on the bus or at the station. See the system instantly deduct the fare from your card balance. PRESTO! You’re on your way! And when you lose the card – you lose everything – anyone who finds it can use it until it’s empty. This was SMART?
The system didn’t come with a magician and Burlington, not exactly Silicon Valley North, found itself with a system that worked – but it wasn’t flawless in the early days.
Promoted as an added bonus for users, the card can be set up to automatically reload when your balance runs low. Advantages to that – you never have to line up to buy tickets.
To get started, all you need to do is register your card, and then follow the steps online. It’s that easy!
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