“In Toronto TTC is all you see”.
As an international student in a new country and a travel enthusiast, I was exposed to new routes and found it hard to commute around Canada (Toronto) initially. Knowing and learning my routes and directions helped me as a passenger and a student to travel smart in a busy city like Toronto.
My first month in Canada was tough. Why? Cause I was new to the place and that it was winter in Canada. Disclaimer, winter in Canada is pretty intense and travel during this period is tough regardless of you being a native or an international student/newcomer. I also had responsibilities like school and work which had to be dealt with. My schedule for a day would include work and school, and I had to physically be present at both places, what made it harder was the time gap between work and school. I had maximum 2 hours timeframe to travel from one end of Toronto to another to be present at both places. Missing a bus or subway or getting late to the station can significantly impact your time of arrival to your location.
TTC
Considering these odds Toronto public transportation (TTC) and its other services made commute significantly lighter and less stressful for me. I was able to travel efficiently and save money, time, and effort, the three important and primary aspects to a student’s life to acquire maximum results.
#1. USING THE TTC
So to travel using the TTC, the first step would be to know where you’re travelling so you know which mode of TTC transportation (bus, subway or streetcar) would help you reach your destination quickest. After you know which transportation fits best, you need to know which direction you’re traveling (north, south, east or west). The best way to do these (know your direction and mode of transportation) would be to download an application which makes travel on TTC easier. Applications such as Transit app or the TTC app or even Google maps would help, because they show bus timings, nearest bus stops/subway stations, directions to travel, and so on which would help a solo traveler significantly in a new area/locality. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Transit_Commission
#2. PRESTO
The last thing would be to have your finance for the travel figured out. Acquiring a travel card/pass aka PRESTO or a cash fare ticket. The PRESTO card and PRESTO tickets are 2 different passes. The PRESTO card is an electronic contactless smart card, used for fare payments. This card has immediate reloads or monthly reloads. The immediate reloads require the user to load the card each time based on the fare of travel and mode of transport.
Meanwhile the monthly pass is a prepaid system of payment. Here the user pays a monthly fare charge in advance each month they wish to reload the card. This permits the user to use the TTC transportation unlimited number of times for the month within Toronto. Meanwhile the PRESTO ticket is an immediate payment and ticket system for temporary travel. The only difference between the 2 is that the PRESTO card can be used anywhere in Canada (fare and conditions are subject to region or area of travel). Meanwhile the PRESTO tickets work only where the TTC work.
The charges for either of the methods differ based on the place of travel. But another factor that matters for the travel prices is the traveler’s age groups. Children 12 and under can travel in the TTC free year-round. The 3 methods of payments for travel with TTC are cash fares, PRESTO tickets, and PRESTO cards. An adult has a fare charge of 3.25$ for a single trip. Which permits the user a 2-hour period to travel free until next due time.
The PRESTO card has this rate reduced to 3.20$ reload for a single trip (2 hours). The additional advantage which students in general have with the TTC is the student pass or monthly student reload. This is an additional benefit (discounted rate) with finance management and savings for students as it gives unlimited tap. Implying unlimited travel permit all around Toronto for that 1 reload for the month. The PRESTO card even has a free tap for every recharge. What this means is that, you get 1 free tap when your card is at a 0 balance. This can be of great significance to students when their pockets are tight.
Being a student, management in general becomes a priority. Reducing travel hassle from your list of daily stress can drastically provide better results, so why not right!?
