A division of Metrolinx, an agency of the Ontario Government, PRESTO is the fare payment system for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and Ottawa.
A division of Metrolinx, an agency of the Ontario Government, PRESTO is the fare payment system for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and Ottawa.
Have questions about how to tap and transfer with your physical PRESTO card, contactless credit and debit card, or PRESTO in Mobile Wallet? Get the answers to some of our most asked questions here.
All you need to do is tap your card when boarding a connecting vehicle, and the system will automatically check if you're eligible for a free transferFor example, if you are travelling between GO Transit and TTC:
1tap on with GO Transit; 2tap off at your final GO Transit stop; 3and tap to transfer to TTCYour TTC transfer is free if you tap within GO’s three-hour transfer window.
All local transit agencies that use PRESTO have a two-hour window after you pay your fare where you can transfer for free, except for GO Transit which has a three-hour transfer window
When you first tap to take transit, your transfer window startsYour transfers within that time will be free, but if you tap again after the transfer window is over you will be charged a new fareIf you started your trip with a transit agency that has a two-hour transfer window but then transfer to GO, your transfer window will reset to GO’s three-hour window
Your current transfer window will appear every time you tap a physical PRESTO card or PRESTO in Mobile Wallet card on a PRESTO fare deviceIf you’re using a physical PRESTO card that’s been added to a PRESTO account, you can see your transfer window by using the “Check Balance” feature on the PRESTO app
If you’re riding with GO Transit, have a GO default trip set up, and tap within the GO three-hour transfer window, you don’t need to tap off to get a free transfer
If you are riding with GO Transit without a GO default trip, you will need to tap off to get a free transferIf you don’t, you’ll be charged a fare to the furthest destination on the line you rode and you’ll also be charged a new fare when transferring to another transit agencyIf you started your trip on local transit, then transferred to Go Transit and forgot to tap off, you will not be eligible for One Fare transfer discounts
If you are only riding with GO Transit and forget to tap off at the end of your trip, your fare will be calculated based on the distance travelled to the furthest destination on the line you rodeThe fare will be automatically deducted from your card balance the next time you tap your cardVisit the GO Transit website to learn more.
Your loyalty discounts will still apply when travelling on transit agencies that offer loyalty programs.
If your PRESTO card has gone into a negative balance, PRESTO devices on fare gates at TTC subway stations may decline a free transferTo make sure you get your free transfer at a TTC subway station, your PRESTO card balance needs to be higher than $0.00
You can quickly and easily load funds in a few ways:
Your proof of payment is the payment method you tapped withIf a fare enforcement officer asks for proof of payment, simply tap your method of fare payment on their handheld reader to verify that your card is valid and that you tapped on at the start of your tripYour card will not be charged when you tap it on a fare inspection device
If you are riding with a discounted fare type (e.g., Youth or Senior), make sure to bring proper identification to prove that you qualify for that discount.
You can use your PRESTO card balance to buy paper tickets for additional passengers when travelling with the following transit agencies:
To buy paper tickets with your PRESTO balance, speak to the driver when you board your vehicle
However, paper tickets are not eligible for free transfers under One FareIf you want to make sure the people you are travelling with can get free transfers to other transit agencies during your trip, each customer will need to tap their own PRESTO card, debit card or credit card.
No worries! You can cancel your tap within 15 minutes of tapping on UP Express, and within 45 minutes of tapping on GO TransitSimply press the ‘Mode’ button once on an UP Express device, or twice on a GO Transit device to access the "Reverse Fare" screenThen tap your method of fare payment as you normally wouldThe device screen will confirm that your fare payment was reversedThe fare reversal will also appear in your transaction history.
A default trip is a convenient feature to help you save time by pre-setting your most common GO Train routeWhen you tap on, the system automatically charges you the fare for your default trip, so you don't have to tap again when you get off at your default destinationThis means more time saved with PRESTO
You can set up a GO Default trip for a physical PRESTO card, a PRESTO in Mobile Wallet card, physical credit/debit cards and a credit card in mobile wallet
To set up a GO Default Trip on the PRESTO App:
To add a GO Default Trip to a contactless credit/debit card, you can also use the PRESTO website
If you want to travel from one of your default stations to a different station, you’ll need to press the Mode button on the PRESTO device one time and then tap your PRESTO card to override your default tripWhen you arrive at your destination, make sure you remember to tap offIf you forget to tap off when ending your trip on GO Transit, you could be charged to the end of the GO line and a charge labeled "Fare Adjustment - Tap Off Not Detected" may appear in your PRESTO card transaction history.
If you transfer to any of the transit agencies below, show you PRESTO card to get a free trip to a GO Train station or GO bus stopVisit the transit agency’s website to learn more.
Usually this is because your transfer to GO Transit was freeWhen this happens, your transfer window won’t be extended to GO Transit’s 3-hour windowIf you then transfer from GO to another local transit agency after your original 2-hour transfer window ends, then you’ll be charged a new fare, instead of getting a free One Fare transfer
Here’s an example of when this might happen:
