The Presto card is a travel card, mostly used by people to travel via buses in Canada’s capital province of Ontario. People might think it as just a normal transit card, but the power it upholds and the uses are much, especially when it comes to an International Student or a Worker.

Where can you use Presto Cards?

The Presto Card is primarily used in almost all the areas inside Ontario province for transit purposes, especially near the capital city of Ottawa, Toronto City, GTA area and other popular towns of Ontario. Some of the major transit services that accepts Presto cards are Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and GO Transit.

List of Transit agencies where presto Card is usable

Brampton Transit
Burlington Transit
Durham Region Transit
GO Transit
Hamilton Street Railway
miWay Transit (Mississauga)
Oakville Transit
York region Transit
Ottawa City Transit (OC Transpo) – Ottawa and Gatineau
Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)
Union Pearson Express (UP)
Niagara Region Transit
Milton Transit

Which all transit services and regions in Ontario is can be serviced under Presto Card

Basic uses of the Presto Card

The Presto card is primarily a contactless smart card which is plastic / fibre made similar to the ATM/Debit/Credit Cards. It is used to pay for transit fares across different regions in Canada, particularly regions in and around Ontario province. The purpose and main use of this card is to replace cash or paper tickets, making the system completely digital. This allows a person for fast and easy travel, they don’t have to carry paper tickets which can easily spoil as well as coins or currency notes to buy a ticket.

Th card is especially useful for people commuting to work or school regularly. To use it, travellers only need to simply tap their card on a Presto card reader when they board a bus, train, or other public transit vehicles. The fare is then automatically deducted from their Presto balance. Though you can also use a credit card for the same purpose, the cost is comparatively very less when you use a transit card like Presto.

The Presto card is primarily used in Ontario. The following transit systems accept the Presto card:

1. Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)

Region Covered: Toronto, Ontario
Services: Subway, buses, streetcars

2. GO Transit

Region Covered: Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), Southern Ontario
Services: Regional trains, buses

3. York Region Transit (YRT)/Viva

Region Covered: York Region, Ontario
Services: Buses, rapid transit

4. MiWay (Mississauga Transit)

Region Covered: Mississauga, Ontario
Services: Buses

5. Brampton Transit

Region Covered: Brampton, Ontario
Services: Buses

6. Durham Region Transit (DRT)

Region Covered: Durham Region, Ontario (including Oshawa, Ajax, and Pickering)
Services: Buses

7. Hamilton Street Railway (HSR)

Region Covered: Hamilton, Ontario
Services: Buses

8. Oakville Transit

Region Covered: Oakville, Ontario
Services: Buses

9. Burlington Transit

Region Covered: Burlington, Ontario
Services: Buses

10. Milton Transit

Region Covered: Milton, Ontario
Services: Buses

11. Niagara Region Transit

Region Covered: Niagara Region, Ontario (including St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, and Welland)
Services: Buses

12. OC Transpo

Region Covered: Ottawa and parts of Gatineau, Ontario-Quebec border region
Services: Buses, O-Train light rail transit (LRT)

13. Niagara Region Transit (Niagara RT)

Region Covered: Niagara Region, Ontario, including cities such as St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, and Welland
Services: Regional and local buses

Advantages of using the Presto Card

Convenience of use: Presto card allows tap-and-go access to transit, making it easy to board without cash or tickets.
Balance and Fare Management: Customers can load funds online via online banking or Credit Cards, through the Presto app, or at physical kiosk outlets.
Rewards: Presto Card often offers fare discounts for certain categories, including students plans, senior citizen plans and children / minor plans.
Auto Reload Feature: Users can set the card to automatically reload cash from credit or debit cards, ensuring they never run out of funds while travelling in emergency hastily.

Disadvantages of the Presto Card

Card Fees: There is an initial cost for purchasing the Presto card, and replacement fees if it’s lost. So, the user have to make sure that they don’t loose it. If it is lost and someone gained access to it, they can use it until the loaded funds go dry, since the Presto Card doesn’t have a name or OTP system.
Limited to Ontario: The card is mostly limited to Ontario; other provinces use separate transit systems and payment methods. Though it can also be used in some borer places around Quebec, it is not useful if you are travelling outside Ontario like in Alberta or BC.
Balance Management: For some, maintaining a balance on Presto can be cumbersome. Refunds for unused balances are limited and can be slow.

Who Should definitely use the Presto Card?

The Presto card is ideal and best people who travel daily. Students, and workers who regularly travels for classes and part-time job, workers who needs to reach workplace every day. It simplifies the payment process, making it easier to catch multiple forms of transit without paying separately for each one.

International students and workers who travels frequently between their residence and their institution or workplace will find Presto highly useful, since the individual credit card tapping is costlier and saves time. For such students and workers, taking a monthly plan is more beneficial rather than tapping occasional on the go. If the user is not a regular travelling person, it is best to recharge the card for an amount and keep it with you for future use.

Monthly and Yearly Presto Plans: Pros and Cons

Presto offers monthly passes that provide unlimited travel within a specific month, allowing users to save on fares if they travel frequently. Here’s a look at the pros and cons of these plans:

Presto Card Monthly Plans: Advantages and Disadvantages

Pros: With unlimited rides for 30 day, frequent travellers can save more than twice the money compared to the pay-as-you-go option. Also, they can seamlessly travel as much as they want without worrying about the 2 hour lock-in-tap period.
Cons: Monthly plans require upfront costs, and users must determine if they’ll travel enough to justify it. For students, a minimum of 60 rides per month (twice a day) could make the monthly plan cost-effective. Its roughly around CAD $140 – $150 for a monthly plan package.

Presto Card Yearly Plans: Advantages and Disadvantages of

Pros: Users pay a discounted rate for an entire year. This plan is best suited for regular commuters who want to lock in long-term savings. International students who have enrolled for 2 year courses, people who has at least 2 year work/spouse visa validity or people with PR are the best candidates.
Cons: It’s a large upfront commitment. You need big amount of money to invest in it. Refunds may not be available if travel habits change mid-year. So, it’s best for people who are sure that they will use the public transports for at least 2 years consecutively.

Alternatives to the Presto Card

While the Presto card is widely accepted, there are alternatives for people who do not need regular transit:

Single-Trip Tickets: Ideal for infrequent travellers who only need transit occasionally. They can take the tickets from outlet, ticketing machines or Marts where they are provided.
Daily and Weekly Passes: TTC and some other transit systems offer day passes or weekly passes that may suit those with limited or irregular travel. It suits for those who are travelling for leisure activities, tourists or seasonal travellers.
Contactless Credit or Debit Cards: Some transit systems now accept direct payments from contactless credit or debit cards, which can be an option for those who don’t want to purchase a Presto card. There can be extra charges or taxes added to the fare, hence the ticket price will be higher than the rates while using a presto card.

Benefits of using Presto Card for International Students

The Presto card can be especially useful for international students who need to travel in buses, especially when they need to use multiple buses, trains or transit systems. Students often commute between campus, part-time jobs, accommodation, shopping centres, grocery stores and won’t be having a vehicle on their own to commute. Presto’s student fare discounts and plans are mostly affordable and consist a low budget. Many institutions provide Presto discount programs for students, so it’s worth checking if your college or university offers such discounts for you.

Minimum Travel Requirement for a Monthly Plan to Be Profitable for Students

To determine whether the Presto monthly plan is worth it, a student should calculate their average travel per month basis. On average, a student commutes at least 60 times per month considering the offline class days, part-time job commutes and going to shops or grocery stores. The monthly pass would be more economical than individual rides in such cases. For example, if each trip costs around $3, then 60 rides would cost approximately $180 CAD, which is much more than the price of the monthly pass. Students should track their travel for one or two months to see if they meet this threshold and then opt for a monthly plan.

Presto Card: Reasons why an international student or worker should have it in Ontario

What is Presto Card in Ontario, Canada