To help get PRESTO cards in the hands of even more riders, the TTC, the City of Toronto, and Toronto Public Library have teamed up to distribute 65,000 complimentary cards.
The program kicked off on Monday, October 5, and the cards are available at 33 Toronto Public Library locations throughout the city.
READ: TTC to Give Out Free PRESTO Cards this Summer and Fall
Toronto Storeys reached out to TTC spokesperson Stuart Green to learn more about who qualifies for the program and Green said the PRESTO cards are reserved for people who do not yet have one or may face obstacles purchasing one.
“The focus is on newcomers and lower-income Torontonians along our busiest routes and in Neighbourhood Improvement Areas,” he says. The cards will specifically go “to city residents who have faced obstacles getting cards already.”
Green also says the initiative is a “targeted campaign” and that “people will receive direct notice of how to participate.”
"The TTC is proud to be partnering with the City and TPL to get cards into the hands of people who do not yet have one," added Green.
The PRESTO cards will be available at select Toronto Public Library branches, while quantities last.
These are the participating library branches:
- Albion
- Amesbury Park
- Barbara Frum
- Bendale
- Black Creek
- Cedarbrae
- Cliffcrest
- Dawes Road
- Downsview
- Evelyn Gregory
- Humber Summit
- Jane/Dundas
- Jane/Sheppard
- Kennedy/Eglinton
- Lillian H. Smith
- Main Street
- Malvern
- Maria A. Shchuka
- Morningside
- Mount Dennis
- Northern Elms
- Pape/Danforth
- Parkdale
- Parliament Street
- Richview
- Riverdale
- Runnymede
- Sanderson
- Scarborough Civic Centre
- Taylor Memorial
- Thorncliffe
- Weston
- Woodview Park
Currently, a new PRESTO card costs $6, but those who receive these complimentary cards won’t have to pay the fee.
The TTC said customers can still continue to pay with cash, tickets and tokens for the foreseeable future.
