Posted on 27/12/24 12:36 pm
Presto Card is quite a necessary tool for using public transit for those who live in the GTHA or the province of Ottawa, Canada. However, registering in the Presto app requires verifying an account with a mobile number.
For many people, this may not seem like a big deal, but for those who don’t want to share their real contact information with the app due to privacy reasons, this is hardly good news to hear. However, there are methods to bypass this requirement, including using a temporary virtual number instead of your actual number.
Let’s explore how the technology works, but first, let’s discover the benefits of the Presto services.
Presto Card is a travel card for public transport and metro transportation rides in the GTHA (Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area) and the province of Ottawa, Canada. This travel pass replaced the familiar Metropass and talon tickets that were still available in Canada until recently.
The Presto fare payment system is compatible with over 10 public transit agencies that operate in the GTHA. You can check the list of transit agencies on the Presto website.
The Presto card allows customers to pay for a ride on any public transport, whether it’s buses, trams, or subways. The process is simple: when boarding, you need to tap the card to the reader and tap it again when making a transfer. If you manage to stay within 2 hours after the payment, you won’t be charged an extra fare.
You can access the Presto services with a physical card or its virtual analogue, which is sold on the official website or in the app (as for the app, please keep reading). For more convenience, starting in late 2023, riders can purchase a Presto card in Google Wallet and Apple Wallet.
For purchasing a physical Presto card, you have three options:
The only nuance is that since the automated machines cannot verify a rider’s age, it’s not possible to purchase a concessionary fare for all categories of citizens, only a standard adult fare. However, the other two options work when submitting a driver’s license or other proof of identity (PoI) documentation.
A Presto ticket is a paper analogue to a Presto card for a few rides, which is meant to be thrown away after use and cannot be reloaded.
This paper ticket has an embedded RFID chip that prevents it from being recycled. Customers can buy a 1-ride, 2-ride, or day pass ticket.
Sadly, discounted fares don’t apply to Presto tickets, but using a ticket, you can still make free transfers within 2 hours on TTC.
Typically, for travel cards, you can load a certain amount of funds to a Presto card or a transit pass for unlimited travel. However, the second option works for some transit agencies only (GO Transit, UP Express, and Burlington Transit excluded).
As for loading money onto your Presto card, there are a few ways to do this:
If you need to load a weekly or monthly transit pass, you can choose from the following options:
Using the app is even more convenient, especially for younger generations and those who are inclined to use technology. The Presto app allows riders to easily transfer a physical card into its virtual analogue so they can use a mobile device as a card. After creating a virtual card, the physical one becomes inactive. So, within a single Presto account, customers can manage up to 10 Presto cards.
Here’s what you can do in the Presto app in addition to registering a Presto card:
It’s a three-step procedure:
As you can see, there’s no option to avoid using a mobile number when registering for the Presto card. But you can protect your primary phone number from being leaked or used for spam calls and messages by utilizing a temporary virtual number instead.
When it comes to virtual numbers, they can receive SMS messages just like conventional mobile numbers. However, unlike cellular numbers that require a SIM card installed in a mobile device, virtual numbers are auto-generated by special software, which is typically accessible through a website or a desktop client. A message also comes to the software that issues the numbers.
The working principle of virtual numbers offers several advantages, including:
To get access to the Presto services with the help of smspinverify, follow these steps: