Although it plans to eventually enable riders to directly pay their fares with contactless credit and debit cards, the operator of a new regional closed-loop transit card scheme in Canada’s largest province, Ontario, prefers to take a more cautious path to open-loop payment.
Ernie Wallace, executive project director of the Presto system, which in May launched a proprietary contactless fare-collection card covering nine municipal transit systems in Ontario, told NFC Times that Presto hoped to hold its first trial of bank-issued credit, debit or prepaid payment in early 2012. He predicts the system could roll out open-loop payment of fares as early as 2012 or 2013.
But before that happens, the banks, card networks and technology suppliers have to further develop the system of collecting fares directly on buses and at metro gates by riders tapping their contactless bank cards, such as Visa payWave and MasterCard PayPass.
