DEC 9, 2015

Proof of payment will soon be required on all TTC streetcars as the transit system moves to allow back-door boarding.

As of Monday (Dec. 14), riders can use any door to board any streetcar, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Proof-of-Payment (POP) will be required.

“Getting a paper transfer is key. That’s a big behaviour change. Think of it like a receipt, and get a transfer where you pay your fare,” TTC spokesman Brad Ross said Wednesday.

“If you pay by token, cash, or ticket, you need to get a receipt which doubles as your transfer,” he said.

A Metropass is already proof of payment.

Riders who use the Presto system will still need a paper transfer if transferring from a streetcar route to a bus route, or from a streetcar route to a streetcar route without a Presto reader.

All streetcars and buses will soon have the Presto system, Ross said, eliminating the need for a transfer, but that’s not in place yet. Once that change has been made, riders will need to “tap” their Presto card every time they enter a TTC vehicle.

“If it’s the second, third, or fourth vehicle [on the same trip], there won’t be a deduction,” Ross said, but the card will register that a transfer has been made.

There have been, and will continue to be, fare inspectors who will request riders to demonstrate that they’ve paid. That means either showing a paper transfer, “tapping” the Presto card on the fare inspector’s reader, or showing the Metropass.

The TTC is hoping to eliminate token, ticket and Metropass use by the end of 2016. If approved by the board, weekly and monthly passes will be moved to the Presto system. A daily e-Purse will be introduced (unlimited travel for the price of a day pass), as well as a single ride card (equivalent to cash). That motion will go before the TTC board on Dec. 16.

As the TTC makes the switch to Presto, there will be new fare gates across the entire TTC.

Proof-of-Payment is any of the following:
•Valid Transfer
•Metropass
•Weekly Pass
•Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Weekly Pass
•Day Pass
•E-Ticket
•Convention Pass
•Validated TTC Ticket
•PRESTO card (after tapping when boarding)