The TTC bylaws regarding the use of transfers are Draconian, nonsensical and business unfriendly.

[Evan Leibovitch]

Couple of things:

   1. 1) The transition to time-based travel is not prohibitive, and it is
   probably inevitable. The TTC has committed to moving to the Presto card
   system <https://www.prestocard.ca/en/>, used everywhere in the region
   (including GO Transit) except for the TTC -- and even in the TTC it is in
   limited use (ie, Presto is accepted at College, Queen's Park and a few
   other subway
stations<http://www.ttc.ca/Fares_and_passes/Fare_information/Presto_Fare_System/index.jsp>,
   so I can take it home from TLUG but not going there). Much more convenient
   than tokens.
   The city is committed to widely implement Presto by the time the Vaughan
   subway extension is completed in 2015. That's to (amongst other things)
   allow the large GO terminal at York University to move up to the Jane/407
   station.

   2. The transfer system used by the TTC -- which has existed since before
   I moved to Toronto in the early 70s -- isn't sophisticated enough to enable
   the time-based system used in the 'burbs. For instance, the time on the
   transfer isn't the time you got on the bus, it's when the bus left its
   starting point. Real-time printing of entry times on transfers would indeed
   be prohibitively expensive, especially with Presto coming to replace that.

   3. Toronto's bus-to-bus transfer system may be sub-optimal, but -- as
   anyone who's used transit in London or New York or Montreal will know --
   its subway-to-bus transfer systems (with most subway stations being
   transfer-less) are actually quite sophisticated and speeds travel
   significantly when going between modes.


For better or worse, the unit of measure used by the TTC is usually
per-trip, not per-time (except for day or monthly passes) or per-kilometre
(except for trips outside the Toronto boundary). We don't use zones like
many cities, though that too may be coming once Presto allows for a more
regional approach to transit use (ie, being able to seamlessly transfer
between GO Transit and TTC within Toronto). What I found in Prague recently
was they were able to effectively use the time-based fares to implement a
kind of zone system, with a cheap fare for 30 minutes (ie, a local trip)
and a standard fare for two hours. Presto will enable that too if the will
exists to do that.

TTC drivers are subject to substantial abuse from passengers, and I only
recall on instance in the last few years where it was warranted. The driver
is under no obligation to "take your word for it" that you left your pass
at home, especially since passes are transferable. Indeed it would not
surprise me if drivers were EXPLICITLY instructed not to accept such
explanations. Under those conditions you use the rules that apply to taking
a single trip. You have the right to appeal your situation to TTC
management, but I wouldn't count on them being any more sympathetic than
others here.

- Evan

PS: In years previous, Presto has a history of offering enticement
deals<http://www.macinsiders.com/showthread.php/go-transits-free-presto-card-promo-48042.html?s=f8081fec3e9c76c8f4349b7cd935be87&>to
encourage people to get cards, often held at events on occasions such
as
"back to school". It would not be surprising to see Presto promotions being
held at colleges and universities around the region this September.
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