Woodbridge_Heights
Senior Member
Exactly. The majority of new phones coming out, except the iPhone, have NFC, which is starting to be used by Banks across canada for mobile payments. I find it so odd, because we actually have all the infrastructure already in place. Most merchant terminals already come with the ability to just tap your card on it. So the issue, I'm sure, comes from the need to implement certain security standards and encryptions for these mobile apps. Still, though, a mobile app just needs to interact with the terminals at the subway stations and buses, etc. They already have the back-end in place (the network that handles payments, etc). Apparently PRESTO in Ottawa is already ready to accept mobile payments from what I've heard, and when TTC finally starts rolling it out, we will too, in Toronto. If people could just download a free PRESTO app where they could register and login to their account as well as check their balance, top-up and pay for using transit, wouldn't that bee a much easier way to get into the hands of users and increase the rate of adoption for PRESTO? It just seems like a straightforward evolution IMO.
I'm curious if anyone has heard anything about this.
Edit: I know this is planned for the PRESTO next generation
Most of the infrastructure and security is already in place I would think, no? I mean those standalone readers (the ones that don't update like at union) communicate in some way with the central server don't they? Write an app that creates a secure encrypted connection to that server and allow whatever transactions you want. Missed an opportunity there.