This Crazy Train's Presto Chronicles, Chapter 9: The Family Circus Path

Gailanne wants to know why it's so hard to find a Presto machine at the exit points surrounding Union. She thinks Billy from the comic strip Family Circus headed up the planning and placement of the card readers.

She writes:

This week, I caved in and got myself a PRESTO Card. The main reason for doing so is because my GO commuting habits have started becoming less predictable and I didn't want to keep track of multiple 10 ride tickets. I have also been taking advantage of the nice weather and riding my bicycle to and from work at least twice a week. The overall calculations of me commuting on the GO for much of the summer did not amount to anything significant to justify getting a monthly pass. Monthly passes won't happen til January due to planned holidays, as well as hope for an extended cycling season.

I left my PRESTO zones open with no defaults because of varying trips. Besides, I would like to remain accountable to my balances at all times by remembering to tap on and off.

This morning, I experienced my first frustration. Getting off the train at Union on Platform 26, I headed for the stairs leading to the east side of York Street. I looked around. For the first time, I noticed that while they have machines for stamping the paper tickets, there were no PRESTO scanners. What the...? I have never noticed this before and I have taken the same steps down to the street for more than two years - even before PRESTO was launched! I noticed two scanners. They were out of service. Just getting installed...

I then had to make a beeline up York Street and back into the station through the Front Street entrance to tap off. These machines are difficult to locate! After navigating my way through the concourse, I was finally able to locate one closer to the stairs.

Now, in all fairness, the teamway on the west side of York Street has multiple scanners. I didn't utilise those ones (like I would on the way home) because I wanted to see what it was like to locate one in the GO Concourse. One thing came to mind very quickly... Do you remember Bill Keane's comic Family Circus? Occasionally, we are treated to a map of little Billy's adventure before he arrives at a destination. It's just like trying to find a Presto Card scanner.

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I never understood the Family Circus but I'd read it anyway on Sunday mornings since it was all I could do on Sunday mornings because my parents believed cable was the devil when I was kid. The only channels I got as a kid were CFTO, Global, TVOntario (God, how miserable was that station in the 80s? I hated the Green Forest with a passion and Rocket Robin Hood? That made me *want* go to church and I don't go to church).

Speaking of church, when you had no cable tv, Sundays meant all that was available on Global and CFTO were televangelists. CityTV had multicultural programs. I once watched a whole show about marinating meat in Portuguese because it was the. only. thing. on.

Then there was PBS. There I'd be, watching Anne of Green Gables - all parts - only to be interrupted by that blonde chick with the bowl cut who would start begging for pledge money. Oh my God, she went on and on. With all those fake ringing phones in the background and smiling people pretending to write down bogus information. Then they'd run a scroll of all the people who "gave" money.

Yeah, so those of you who had cable, I hated you.

But back to the Presto scavenger hunt. GO needs to invest in card scanners that are better positioned and more visible. Plus, convenient for customers! They've pushed this product so much focusing entirely on the brand and less on the value. At least, this is how it seems to me. Put card readers right on the train. Right near the door. If they make the scanners small enough for fare checking, they can mount something just as small on the coaches. Sounds good to me.