Student fares, passes and photo IDs
PRESTO is the fastest and easiest way to pay your fare as a youth or post-secondary student travelling on the TTC. You can buy a PRESTO card for $4 at the Fare Vending Machine at any TTC station, from any Shoppers Drug Mart or Loblaws location, online at prestocard.ca or at the TTC’s Customer Service Centre above Davisville Station.
You can also load a virtual PRESTO card for free to your mobile wallet. This card works the same way as a physical card. You can set a specific fare type, load funds or a monthly pass and easily tap it to pay your fare. The virtual PRESTO card is not available for children 12 and younger, as they ride for free.
All PRESTO cards are set to automatically deduct an adult fare. To set your PRESTO card to deduct a youth or post-secondary fare, you will need to take your card or smart device along with a piece of government issued identification to a Shoppers Drug Mart or Loblaws location, or the TTC Customer Service Centre. Refer to the instructions below.
You must tap your PRESTO, debit or credit card or smart device every time you board a vehicle on the street or enter a subway station. Your fare will be deducted and an electronic transfer will be applied to your card. This transfer allows you to enter and exit the TTC as much as you want within two hours of your first tap without being charged another fare. Through Ontario’s One Fare Program, you only pay once when transferring to and from the TTC and GO Transit, Brampton Transit, Durham Region Transit, and York Region Transit.
Your tapped PRESTO, debit or credit card or smart device is also your Proof-of-Payment. Be prepared to show the card/device you tapped to a TTC employee if you are asked.
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Elementary and high school students
There are a few ways you can pay your youth fare:
- PRESTO pay-as-you-go: $2.35 (youth fare, ages 13-19)
- Exact cash: $2.40 (youth fare, ages 13-19)
- Debit or credit card: $3.30 (the same as the adult PRESTO fare)
- Youth 12-Month Pass*, loaded onto a PRESTO card: $117.45
- Youth Monthly Pass*, loaded onto a PRESTO card: $128.15
*Youth fare type must be set on your PRESTO card before a Youth Monthly or Youth 12-Month Pass can be loaded.
Watch this video on how to pay a TTC youth fare:
Watch this video on how to pay your TTC fare with debit or credit:
Photo ID
Students 16 to 19 years old need to carry a valid high school photo ID card, driver’s license or an Ontario Photo Card and be prepared to show it to a TTC employee if asked.
Youths ages 13 to 15 do not require ID, and children 12 years old and under ride for free.
Child Proof-of-Age Cards are available for children who may look older than 12 by calling the Customer Service Centre at 416-393-3030.
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Post-Secondary students 19 and younger
Post-secondary students 19 and younger are eligible for the youth fare. You do not need to purchase a Post-Secondary Monthly Pass until you turn 20. The fare type on your PRESTO card does not automatically update, so you must have your fare type changed (see above instructions.) Post-secondary students 19 and younger can pay a youth fare in a few ways:
- PRESTO pay-as-you-go: $2.35 (youth fare, ages 13-19)
- Exact cash: $2.40 (youth fare, ages 13-19)
- Debit or credit card: $3.30 (the same as the adult PRESTO fare)
- Youth 12-Month Pass*, loaded onto a PRESTO card: $117.45
- Youth Monthly Pass*, loaded onto a PRESTO card: $128.15
*Youth fare type must be set on your PRESTO card before a Youth Monthly or Youth 12-Month Pass can be loaded.
Photo ID
• Students 16 to 19 years old need to carry a valid driver’s license or an Ontario Photo Card and be prepared to show it to a TTC employee if asked.
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Post-Secondary students 20 and older
Post-Secondary Monthly Pass, loaded onto a PRESTO card: $128.15
This pass is available for students 20 and older enrolled in a full-time degree or diploma program in a recognized Post-Secondary School or Private Career College in Toronto.
Before you can purchase and load a Post-Secondary Monthly Pass onto your physical or virtual PRESTO card, you must have a TTC Post-Secondary Photo ID Card. You can buy one in person at the TTC Photo ID Centre on the concourse level at Bathurst Station or at a scheduled on-campus visit.
Take your TTC Photo ID Card and your physical PRESTO card or smart device to any Shoppers Drug Mart or Loblaws location or the TTC’s Customer Service Centre to have your post-secondary student fare type set on your card. When using your monthly pass, you must carry your photo ID card with you and be prepared to show it TTC staff if asked at any point of your journey.
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How to prepare your fare before you travel
Follow these steps to help you prepare your fare payment and identification requirements before you travel:
- Purchase a PRESTO card for $4 from the Fare Vending Machine at all TTC stations, from any Shoppers Drug Mart location or from the TTC’s Customer Service Centre, above Davisville Station. You can also load a virtual PRESTO card (ages 13+) into your Google or Apple Wallet for free.
- Load your PRESTO card with funds or a monthly pass* in advance. You can do this:
- By using the PRESTO App available for free on the Google Play and Apple App stores.
- Online at prestocard.ca
- By setting up Autorenew or Autoload
- In person at a Fare Vending Machine at any TTC station, at any Shoppers Drug Mart or Loblaws location or at the TTC’s Customer Service Centre above Davisville Station.
- Carry the proper identification with you
- Youths ages 13-15 are not required to carry identification.
- Youths ages 16-19 are required to carry a driver’s license, Ontario Photo Card or valid high school photo ID card for the current school year.
- Post-secondary students using a Post-Secondary Monthly Pass must carry a TTC Post-Secondary Photo ID Card.
- Obtain your Proof-of-Payment
- Your tapped PRESTO, debit, credit card or device is your Proof-of-Payment. You must tap every time you board a vehicle on the street or when you enter a station through the fare gates.
- If you pay your fare by cash, TTC ticket or token, you must get a paper transfer from the Operator on a bus, from the Fares and Transfers Machine on a streetcar or from the transfer machine in the subway station, just past the fare line after you pay. This paper transfer is your Proof-of-Payment.
You must be prepared to show your Proof-of-Payment to TTC staff at any point in your journey.
Note: TTC tickets, tokens and passes are no longer available for sale in subway stations. You can still use cash and your previously purchased TTC tickets, tokens or day passes to pay your fare. The TTC will stop accepting TTC tickets, tokens and day passes on June 1, 2025. Refunds will not be provided.