Backroom Research

For this week’s posts, my group and I are collaborating on our group member, Christopher Yasin’s post, on the ethnography of infrastructure, specifically that of the TTC.  Therefore, in using the TTC as a case study we are choosing Option 2 of the mini assignment.

Christopher makes some interesting points.  He states for example that “issues of interoperability between older delivery systems and newer information processing units could result in an information system that may not work”.  I want to expand on this statement by discussing the addition of the Presto Card to the TTC subway system.  The Presto Card is an electronic, reloadable fare card with an RFID chip.  PRESTO is supposed to make it easier to pay your fare while travelling within and between different transit agencies by the simple tap of a card; it is essentially intended to integrate fares across the GTA, Ottawa and Hamilton transit systems.  The system calculates the fare for your trip and deducts it from the balance stored on your card – all in less than a second.

The Presto Card is more effective when applied to the GO Transit and some bus lines (depending on the region) but when integrated into the TTC it has proven to be quite a challenge for some commuters.  For one thing, Presto devices are available at all Go stations but not at all TTC subway stations; this includes the readers, customer service outlets and self service kiosks.  The Presto Card has proved problematic in that commuters have reported that it has deducted the wrong fare amount when tapped, has many troubleshooting issues, and there are different guidelines on how to use it depending on which transit system you are using, where you are going, and if your card has been set on a default trip – it is not as simple as just tapping your card on and off your trip.  Moreover, it is taking too long to roll out as it is expected to be fully integrated into the TTC by 2015.  The long roll out is apparently due to political issues, i.e. the TTC Union.

I think the Presto Card is a great example of a new information processing unit that is combined with an older delivery system; one where not only technology but social, political, and organizational factors impact its interoperability.  For some commuters, the Presto Card is a failed process.  Maybe by putting more consideration into the social, political and organizational factors that affect the Presto Card, it could become more effective for subway riders.