It’s out with the old and in with the new at the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in the New Year.
The TTC stopped selling tickets and tokens in subway stations in 2019, the agency said, noting that most riders have either embraced PRESTO cards, PRESTO tickets, and PRESTO in mobile wallets, or have opted to use debit or credit cards for payments.
“Currently, fewer than one percent of fares are paid using TTC tickets and tokens,” TTC Chair Jamaal Myers said in the press release. “It’s clear that most riders have embraced PRESTO tap-and-ride.”
Refunds, exchanges, or credits will not be provided to customers who do not use their tickets, tokens, or day passes by year’s end, the TTC said.
“We want to ensure that every customer is informed about these changes, and we encourage you to spread the word to friends and family who may still be using these fares,” TTC CEO Greg Percy said in the news release.
“If you still have TTC tickets, tokens, or day passes, I encourage you to use them by December 31, 2024. Or, if you’re a collector, hold onto them as nostalgic keepsakes to remember a bygone era of transit fare payment in Toronto.”
TTC tokens made their debut in 1954, when Canada’s first subway system began serving the people of Toronto. The sales of the last “iconic” TTC tokens by third-party retailers took place in March 2023, effectively marking “the end of an era,” the organization said.
As of Jan. 1, 2025, fares must be paid using a physical or digital PRESTO card, PRESTO Ticket, or a debit or credit card, including those stored in an Apple or Google Wallet, the TTC said.
Cash can be used to purchase PRESTO cards and tickets from Fare Vending Machines in subway stations as well as at station fare boxes, and on buses and streetcars, the agency added.
PRESTO cards must be tapped every time a customer enters a station as well as when he or she boards a vehicle on the street. The tapped PRESTO card acts as a Proof-of-Payment, the TTC said.
A one-ride PRESTO Ticket costs $3.35 and a day pass costs $13.50.
