Tapping & Transferring

A transfer window is the amount of time remaining after you pay your fare with PRESTO during which you can transfer to participating transit agencies for free or at a discounted rate. Your transfer window begins when you first tap to start your trip. Eligible transfers are automatically applied when you tap within your transfer window. Learn more.

To transfer with PRESTO, simply tap every time you change vehicles, enter a station, or enter an LRT platform.

Where to tap your PRESTO card or fare payment method:

• Buses and TTC streetcars: On the vehicle, near the doors
• YRT VIVA Buses: On platforms before boarding
• GO Transit and UP Express stations: Inside station buildings or on platforms
• TTC light rail (Line 5 & 6) surface stops: On platforms before boarding
• TTC subway and light-rail stations, OC Transpo light-rail stations: At faregates at station entrances
• Specialized Transit: On a handheld device or a device attached to the vehicle’s centre console

When you transfer, PRESTO automatically checks whether you qualify for a free or discounted transfer.

Different transit agencies can have different free transfer windows:

• All local transit agencies in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area (except for GO Transit and UP Express): 2-hour free transfer window (e.g. Tap on TTC at 8 am, tap on again at 9:30 am and your second tap is free).
• GO Transit: 3-hour discounted travel window (e.g. Tap on at Richmond Hill Station at 8 am, tap off on Union Station at 8:50 am, tap on again at Union Station and your second trip is discounted).
• Your transfer starts from your first tap. If you tap again after the window expires, you’ll be charged a second fare.

You can check when your transfer expires in a few different ways:

• On the PRESTO reader screen: When you tap, your remaining transfer time will be displayed on the screen
• In the PRESTO app: Sign in to your account, select the card you tapped, and view the banner above your active card showing when your transfer window expires
• On the PRESTO website: Sign in to your account, select the card you tapped, and view the banner above your active card showing when your transfer window expires

Note: To view the most up-to-date transfer information in the PRESTO App or Website, select ‘Refresh’ to update your card information.

Yes. Always tap when boarding a vehicle, entering an LRT platform or entering a station, even during your transfer window.

PRESTO uses your tap to check your transfer window and calculate the correct fare.

Your proof of payment is the payment method you tapped with.

Yes, unless you have a GO Default Trip set.

If you don’t tap off:

• You may be charged a fare to the end of the route you travelled on.
• You may not receive a free or discounted transfer.

If you have a GO Default Trip, you don’t need to tap off when taking the specific trip you’ve set as your default.

If you forget to tap off on GO Transit, PRESTO will charge you a fare to the furthest stop on the route.

If you started your trip on a local transit agency, then transferred onto GO and forgot to tap off, you will not be eligible for discounted One Fare transfers either.

If the fare charged looks incorrect, you may request a fare adjustment directly through GO Transit by calling 1-888-438-6646 or submitting a request through the GO Transit website.

No worries! You can cancel your tap within 15 minutes of tapping on UP Express, and within 45 minutes of tapping on GO Transit. Simply press the ‘Mode’ button once on an UP Express device, or twice on a GO Transit device to access the "Reverse Fare" screen. Then tap your method of fare payment as you normally would. The device screen will confirm that your fare payment was reversed. The fare reversal will also appear in your transaction history.

Fare capping is used by some transit agencies to help you save money on transit. After you pay for a certain number of trips during a set time period - usually a calendar week or month - the rest of your trips during that time period are free.

There's no need to sign up for fare capping. Once you start tapping to pay your fare, your trips in that time period start adding up. The number of trips you need to take to start getting free rides is different for each transit agency, so make sure to check your local transit agency's website to learn more.

Each fare you pay in a set time period counts towards fare capping. Free transfers you make during your trip don't count.

One important thing to know is that fare capping applies to the method of payment you use. For example, if you pay your fare with your PRESTO card one day and then pay with a credit card the next day, you won't be able to combine them to get free trips sooner. To make sure all of your paid trips count towards fare capping, you'll need to use the same payment method.

You'll also need to keep tapping your payment method every time you ride and transfer, even if your rides are free. Your taps are your proof of payment if you are approached by a fare inspector.

If you've added your PRESTO card to a PRESTO account, you can sign into the app or website to see your fare capping summary. For PRESTO cards, your account will have a feature called Loyalty & Capping Summary. For debit or credit cards, you can check your transaction history and count the fares you've paid.

You can also see the fare you paid every time you tap on a PRESTO device. Once you reach the fare capping limit, the device screen will show $0.00 for every trip during the rest of the week or month.

Yes, PRESTO is accepted on many specialized transit services, including Wheel-Trans in Toronto, DARTS in Hamilton, Mobility On-Request in York Region, Durham Region Transit, Care-A-Van in Oakville, Para Transpo in Ottawa (PRESTO in Mobile Wallet not accepted) and Handi-Van in Burlington. There are two different PRESTO fare payment devices on specialized transit vehicles:

• A handheld device
• A device attached to the vehicle’s centre console

Depending on the device type used on your vehicle and where you are seated, you may be able to tap your own card, or the operator may need to tap your card for you.

The result of your tap will be visible on the screen. An audio mode is also available and can be enabled by the operator. When your card is tapped, the audio mode reads out the same information that appears on the screen, including the fare paid and your balance remaining.

If you require audio mode, ask the operator to enable it before your card or device is tapped for the first time.