PRESTO Coming to Shoppers Drug Mart Locations Across the GTHA
Ontario Making it Easier and More Convenient to Take Public Transit

News.Ontario.ca
March 5, 2018

Ontario is making it easier for commuters to use public transit by making PRESTO fare cards available to buy and top-up at Shoppers Drug Mart locations in municipalities across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and Ottawa.

Kathryn McGarry, Minister of Transportation, and Steven Del Duca, MPP for Vaughan, visited the Shoppers Drug Mart at Hillcrest Mall in Richmond Hill today to announce the expansion. This builds upon the successful rollout of PRESTO card services in Toronto last year. Once complete, there will be nearly 400 Shoppers Drug Mart locations across the GTHA where commuters can buy, load and set discounts on their PRESTO cards.

Starting today, Metrolinx will bring PRESTO to five Shoppers Drug Mart locations in York Region, with an additional 24 locations in York Region added in March. Locations in Durham Region, Oakville and Ottawa will follow in April, Mississauga and Brampton in June, and Hamilton and Burlington in July, with more than half of the locations expected to be online by August. A second phase will bring services to all remaining locations across all participating municipalities.

Making it easier for commuters to use public transit is part of Ontario's plan to create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, easier access to affordable child care, and free prescription drugs for everyone under 25 through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation.

Quick Facts

• PRESTO is an electronic, reloadable fare card, based on smart-card technology that allows customers to use a single fare payment method across 11 transit systems in the GTHA and Ottawa: Brampton Transit, Burlington Transit, Durham Region Transit, GO Transit, Hamilton Street Railway (HSR), MiWay, Oakville Transit, OC Transpo, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), UP Express and York Region Transit/Viva (YRT/Viva).
• There are more than 3.6 million activated PRESTO cards across these 11 transit systems.
• Customers will be able to buy passes for any transit agency at any of the participating locations. This means, for example, a customer can purchase a TTC monthly pass at a Shoppers Drug Mart in York Region.
• This expansion will see PRESTO card services roll out to an additional 290 locations for a total of 383 Shoppers Drug Mart locations in PRESTO-enabled municipalities in the GTHA and Ottawa. A list of PRESTO retail outlets is available at prestocard.ca.
• Ontario has cut the cost of commuting by up to $1.50 for people who use their PRESTO card to transfer between the TTC and GO Transit or the UP Express.

Additional Resources

• Metrolinx
• Prestocard.ca

Quotes
“Today’s announcement will make it easier for customers to buy and load PRESTO cards across the GTHA and in Ottawa. Making transit more convenient is key to increasing ridership and managing congestion in our communities. That is why we are expanding access to PRESTO and have worked with the TTC to provide a discounted fare for commuters that transfer between the TTC and GO or the UP Express.”
Kathryn McGarry
Minister of Transportation

“Adding PRESTO card services to Shoppers locations first in York Region and then in the rest of the GTHA and Ottawa will help commuters and families buy and load PRESTO cards in their own neighbourhood. This is one more way that we are making transit a better and more convenient choice for people in York Region.”
Steven Del Duca
MPP for Vaughan

“Adding PRESTO card services to Shoppers Drug Mart in Richmond Hill and across the GTHA will make transit more accessible and easier to use for people in our community. Today’s announcement builds on the improvements we’ve made to GO Transit in Richmond Hill, including the new Gormley GO Station.”
Reza Moridi
MPP for Richmond Hill

“This bigger and better retail network with nearly 300 new locations adds to the many convenient options customers have for buying and loading their PRESTO cards. It’s never been easier to buy or load your card – whether that’s online, in station, or at our many customer service and retail outlets. By giving customers more options, we’re moving towards our goal of making transit a more convenient and accessible choice for everyone.”
Phil Verster
President and Chief Executive Officer, Metrolinx

“We’re pleased with the rollout of PRESTO to date, and know our customers appreciate this offering and the ability to save time in their days. Today’s announced expansion brings more convenience to more customers in the province.”
Ken Kirkwood
Senior Director, Category Management, Shoppers Drug Mart