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Transit cards 'cheaper' than credit cards
10 Aug 2010

Transit cards are a cheaper alternative to credit cards, according to experts.

Contactless credit cards can be used to pay for travel in a similar way to transit cards but they may be a more expensive option as they will charge transaction fees.

Gary McNeil, managing director of Canada's public transport service GO Transit, and Rob Prichard, president and chief executive officer of transport agency Metrolinx, claimed passengers will benefit from transit cards.

They wrote in a joint article on torontosun.com: "In open payment systems which are supported by financial institutions, there will be fees and commissions associated with the use of the cards, either from banks or your cell phone provider to recoup and profit from their investment.

"Customers will have to pay for this, one way or another."

The pair debated the merits of introducing the Presto transit system throughout the Toronto region as local transport officials consider deploying an open payment network.

An open network would allow credit and debit card users to pay for journeys across the travel network.