30 Dec Presto System Upgrade January 2015
A system upgrade will be rolled out by Presto between Thursday night, January 15, 2015, and Sunday night, January 18, 2015. The upgrade will apply to all transit agencies and will enable the system to be ready for field trials for the launch of the UP Express (the new train service in Toronto between Union Station and Pearson Airport) service in spring 2015. The system upgrade will also include some enhancements to the customer experience in the online user account, will eliminate minor defects present in the current version and will increase the efficiency of the overall Presto system.
Presto is implementing customer experience enhancements by adding features such as displaying pending purchases (loads) in online accounts, displaying concessions and expiration date, and registered cardholders will now be able to retrieve their username online.
In order to complete this system upgrade, a temporary interruption of online service at prestocard.ca and some Presto call centre services is required. This does not affect customers’ ability to travel and use their card. Customers will still be able to travel with their Presto cards during this time and can load funds and purchase passes in-person. Full online service will be restored by Monday, January 19, 2015.
While the date for the upgrade was chosen to minimize the impact on our customers, this system upgrade will still have some minor impacts on our customers. In an effort to mitigate these impacts, a comprehensive communication plan has been developed to ensure that customers are kept informed of the impacts during this time period.
Service impacts
Similiar to previous upgrades this changeover will make services on the prestocard.ca website unavailable; however, customers can still travel with their Presto card during this time. It is important to note that except for hotlisting (blocking) lost or stolen cards, these services will still be available during regular business hours at OC Transpo’s Sales and Information Centres. The table below lists which online services will be unavailable during the upgrade.
Frequently Asked Questions – PRESTO 3.0
Why is Presto upgrading its system?
This upgrade will also allow Presto to add customer experience enhancements to online accounts by adding features such as displaying pending loads, displaying concessions and expiration date, and registered cardholders will now be able to retrieve their username online.
The UP Express rail line connecting Toronto’s Union Station to Pearson Airport will launch service in spring 2015, and will then be the 11th transit service in Ontario to use the Presto card. Presto will need to perform essential upgrade and maintenance work in preparation for the UP Express service.
What services will be unavailable during the shutdown?
Presto will be upgrading its system on January 16 to 18, 2015 to a new operating system. This temporary interruption means prestocard.ca will be unavailable and some Presto call centre services will be unavailable. All services will be restored on Monday, January 19, 2015. There will be a delay in displaying customer information on the website until Wednesday, January 21, 2015. Presto customers can still use their Presto card to travel as usual during this time.
From Thursday night, January 15 to Sunday night, January 18, 2015 the following services will be unavailable on prestocard.ca:
- Online card purchase;
- Ordering a replacement card;
- Accessing your account online;
- Loading your card online or by phone;
- Registering your card;
- Activating your card;
- Setting up Autoload or Requested Renew contracts;
- Transferring your balance to a new card;
- The “Contact Us” form on the website; and,
- Hotlisting your card.
It is important to note that except for hotlisting (blocking) lost or stolen cards, these services will still be available during regular business hours at OC Transpo’s Sales and Information Centres.
Why can’t I access the website between January 15 at 10:00 p.m. and the morning of January 19?
Parts of the Presto central operating system will be temporarily unavailable to allow Presto to carry out essential upgrade and maintenance work. We have planned this over the weekend of January 16 to 18 to limit the disruption. All services will be restored the morning of Monday, January 19, 2015.
Can I still use my card?
Presto customers will be able to travel using their Presto card as usual during the upgrade work occurring the weekends of January 16 to 18.
Presto devices on buses and at O-Train stations will continue to operate during this period.
Presto devices will continue to display accurate fare and balance information. Customers can also check their Presto card balance at OC Transpo Sales and Information Centres during regular business hours.
What are the benefits of the upgrade?
After the upgrade, customers will be able to view pending loads in their online account, concessions and end date, as well as improvements to how underpayments are displayed in the transaction history.
The Presto system needs to be upgraded to incorporate new UP Express devices and to allow Presto to begin field trials of new equipment.
Presto will also carry out essential maintenance work on its IT systems during the upgrade to help improve its efficiency for customers across Ottawa and the Toronto area.
How long will this outage and upgrade take?
The planned interruption to prestocard.ca services will allow Presto to complete upgrade and essential maintenance of IT systems. The interruption will take January 16-18, 2015 to help minimize the disruption to customers.
Why does it take so long to upgrade?
The central Presto operating system administers transactions on the Presto website (prestocard.ca) and payments made on Presto devices. This central system requires a major upgrade to integrate technology to prepare for UP Express and other customer experience enhancements.
The temporary interruption to the system will take place over the weekend to help minimize the disruption to customers.
How do I load my card during the upgrade?
We ask customers to complete necessary online transactions on prestocard.ca by Wednesday, January 14, 2015 to avoid disruptions.
Customers will still be able to load their cards instantly in person at an OC Transpo Sales and Information Centre during regular business hours.
Will this affect my Autoload?
No. Autoloads will continue to process as normal.
How will I know when the website is back and I can load my card online again?
All services will be restored on Monday, January 19, 2015. Customers can follow us on social media for updates.