The idea of an open-card system that will allow TTC riders to use their debit or credit card is the appropriate choice for the TTC -- and it is already being used by New York City and Washington D.C.
Toronto should not be trying to revert to the older "Presto" card that requires a more expensive buy-in (6%) to their proprietary technology. As other industries (gas, department stores, etc) have demonstrated, having a unique card requires setting up a unique banking system, a card processing system, and requires a huge amount of overhead to manage. Most industries have moved away from the expense of running their own collection system preferring to have branded credit cards that avoid the cost of processing, risk, and collection.
We should learn from those in the business world who have already gone through this "credit card verses unique collection card" debate and assessment. The verdict is already out on this and most successful industries have chosen to use the credit card system. Why other candidates are choosing to ignore the history on this issue is just another example of narrow political thinking. The right, reasonable, and responsible thing to do is to ensure that we make the right long-term decision for Toronto.
