Komiksulo
Active Member
Got a personal reply back from Laurie at YRT!
Someone is listening...
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Komiksulo
Active Member
Looking at my Presto transaction register, It has my trips from yesterday (Sunday), but does not have anything from Saturday! Saturday I went downtown, involving a bus trip to and from Newmarket, and a $40.00 load at Union. The increased value is reflected in Sunday's balance, but the actual transaction is not there.
Jonny5
Senior Member
I made the train-bus connection on Sunday at Aldershot to Hamilton. Before getting off, I got a clear look at the operators console on the bus and it showed a trip from Zone 17 to Zone 18 had been setup. I was still charged nothing for the bus ride.
I sure don't mind, but I wonder if GO minds losing their fare revenue.
I sure don't mind, but I wonder if GO minds losing their fare revenue.
RedRocket191
Senior Member
In my experience, balance is updated on time but details of the tip can take a few days to show up.
In the words of Grandpa Simpson, "keep your damn mouth shut!"
(I kid, of course).
kEiThZ
Superstar
Does anyone know what technology Presto uses? I know it's RFID and it says they'll support mobile payments later. But I wonder if it will be compatible with the coming mobile payments revolution. It'd be nice if Presto could be added to Google Wallet or be used from a mobile app in the future.
Heck, they should partner with Google for a Google Wallet launch in Canada and maybe get Google to pitch in some funds for converting machines.
Heck, they should partner with Google for a Google Wallet launch in Canada and maybe get Google to pitch in some funds for converting machines.
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ShonTron
Moderator
Heh. I found other interesting loopholes and errors in my favour but feel that I don't want to publicize them. Anyway, most day-to-day riders wouldn't dream of the things I've managed to do with Presto, so no huge loss to GO, the local transit agencies or to Accenture.
vic
Senior Member
Card error?
Strange thing happened this morning: When I boarded a Mississauga bus at Islington Station, the Presto reader said that the card had already been used, as if it was a pass-back. I hadn't used it since about 7pm last night at Kipling TTC.
The only possible explanation I can think of is that the card was double-scanned within the 1 second or so that I waved it in front of the reader, as I thought it worked at first and only made the "denied" noise a couple of seconds later as I was already past the driver. But I would expect that's not possible.
Today's transactions don't show up on the Presto site yet....
Fortunately, the driver let me on after we tried a couple more times.
Strange thing happened this morning: When I boarded a Mississauga bus at Islington Station, the Presto reader said that the card had already been used, as if it was a pass-back. I hadn't used it since about 7pm last night at Kipling TTC.
The only possible explanation I can think of is that the card was double-scanned within the 1 second or so that I waved it in front of the reader, as I thought it worked at first and only made the "denied" noise a couple of seconds later as I was already past the driver. But I would expect that's not possible.
Today's transactions don't show up on the Presto site yet....
Fortunately, the driver let me on after we tried a couple more times.
Komiksulo
Active Member
Okay, the Saturday transactions have appeared in my transaction record on the Presto website. Today's, of course, aren't there yet.
vic
Senior Member
Same problem happened just after 5pm last night when I was heading home. The Mississauga Bus Presto reader said the card was already used. But then it worked with the TTC at Kipling.
I called Presto this morning. The person on the phone was friendly, but didn't resolve the issue at all. Was told to visit the Mississauga Transit terminal to get my card reset somehow to see if that would clear it up. Fortunately, that's right near work, so I could pop over... But why should that be necessary? Funny thing is: My "denied" Mississauga transactions from yesterday show up in the system as payments, but my TTC transaction that worked STILL did not show up in their system this morning (It does now when I check online). And my Presto card was denied on MT again this morning with the same message.
When Presto works, it's pretty cool. But it's very frustrating when things DON'T work. The whole system seems quite poorly designed, confusing, and buggy. I don't have high confidence in Presto as it continues to grow.
APTA-2048
Senior Member
I've had this problem a few times on GO buses usually when exiting. It appears the card is being read twice. Some drivers who know this happens tell me "you're fine", and others who think it's an error ask me to tap again. Then they notice that that tap deducted another $4.20 and they have to go back and refund the amount deducted.
Electrify
Senior Member
Did you tap through a wallet? If you did and you have another RFID card it will accept your Presto, but will come up with a card read error. Tapping again will come up with the 'already tapped' message.
Jonny5
Senior Member
I have found the card readers on buses are often very finicky about how you tap. I am having better luck now that a driver suggested to me not to slide the card over the surface of the reader. Just tap it on quickly.
Komiksulo
Active Member
I may have made a hamhanded error yesterday. On the way back from Union to East Gwillimbury, I may have forgotten to tap on. I did tap off, though. When I went to get on the bus this morning, my card wouldn't work! It said, "insufficient balance". By massaging the reader, the driver managed to display a balance of $12.79, which was more than enough to get me to Union, so he let me ride. (I changed buses at Newmarket; the second half of the ride was on a paper ticket bought at the Newmarket terminal, because I wasn't sure that my card was working.)
When I got to Union, I went into the customer service outlet and they 'reset' my card. The person there said that I had forgotten to tap on yesterday when leaving Union, and therefore my tap off at East Gwillimbury was actually a tap on. I *think* he removed enough additional fare from the card to cover the trip.
Hmm. Looking at my transaction record this evening, I see that I might have forgotten to tap off yesterday *morning*. If so, since I went home by the same route, what I thought was my afternoon tap on was actually the tap off for my morning trip, and what I thought was my afternoon tap off was actually a tap on. The bus driver this morning said that the card works better if you lay it on the reader; quite often just tapping doesn't work.
I thought there was a time limit to how long a tap could 'remain open'; then they charge the maximum fare in the direction you're going?
I wonder whether the lights and indicators on GO's card readers could be arranged to clearly show whether the card is tapped off or tapped on. For other systems, this does not seem to apply. Even on YRT, you select the number of zones before tapping, and only tap once.
I also added money to the card, and had no problem using it this evening.
In other news, I saw a Presto vending machine being installed in Union Station today! The front panel said, "Load card/check balance" and there were markings for Interac, Visa, Mastercard and another card, possibly Amex. The tech was working on it, so I couldn't get too close.
When I got to Union, I went into the customer service outlet and they 'reset' my card. The person there said that I had forgotten to tap on yesterday when leaving Union, and therefore my tap off at East Gwillimbury was actually a tap on. I *think* he removed enough additional fare from the card to cover the trip.
Hmm. Looking at my transaction record this evening, I see that I might have forgotten to tap off yesterday *morning*. If so, since I went home by the same route, what I thought was my afternoon tap on was actually the tap off for my morning trip, and what I thought was my afternoon tap off was actually a tap on. The bus driver this morning said that the card works better if you lay it on the reader; quite often just tapping doesn't work.
I thought there was a time limit to how long a tap could 'remain open'; then they charge the maximum fare in the direction you're going?
I wonder whether the lights and indicators on GO's card readers could be arranged to clearly show whether the card is tapped off or tapped on. For other systems, this does not seem to apply. Even on YRT, you select the number of zones before tapping, and only tap once.
I also added money to the card, and had no problem using it this evening.
This. The system doesn't seem to be designed to make it easy for customers to recover from errors by doing the 'right thing'.
In other news, I saw a Presto vending machine being installed in Union Station today! The front panel said, "Load card/check balance" and there were markings for Interac, Visa, Mastercard and another card, possibly Amex. The tech was working on it, so I couldn't get too close.
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Jonny5
Senior Member
Oh cool. Was it behind the Tim Horton's stand? I saw a big "object" covered by a tarp that said "PRESTO coming soon" last weekend. I was hoping it was a loading station of some kind.
Komiksulo
Active Member
Yes, that's the one.