Metrolinx has reached a deal with Shoppers Drug Mart to sell Presto cards through the company’s stores.

Starting this week the electronic fare cards will be on sale at 10 Shoppers locations in Toronto on a trial basis, with the aim of rolling out the program to more of the stores later this year. The cards cost $6 and can be loaded with money to pay for trips on 11 transit agencies in the GTHA and Ottawa, including GO Transit and the TTC.

Presto users will be able to buy cards, load money onto them and check their balances at Shoppers stores, with the help of a mobile point-of-sale device that Metrolinx finished developing earlier this year. Customers will also be able to set child, student and senior transit discounts on the cards.

Minister of Transportation Steven Del Duca, acting Metrolinx CEO John Jensen, Liberal MPP Han Dong and TTC chair Josh Colle announced the partnership Monday afternoon at a Shoppers outlet on King St. W.

Del Duca hailed the agreement as “good news” for the region’s transit users.

“This is one more way Ontario is working to innovatively transform the transit experience with the goal of making public transit a better, more convenient and more accessible choice for people to use every day,” he said in a statement.

The ability to set discounts on the fare cards at Shoppers stores will provide more options to senior and student TTC riders, who until now have had limited options to set up discounted fares on their Presto cards.

Special seniors Presto cards have been available at a limited number of Gateway Newsstands, but customers otherwise have had to go to TTC headquarters at Davisville station to enable their cards for senior or student discounts.

Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency for the GTHA, owns the fare card system, and announced its intention for a Presto retail partnership two years ago.

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At a Metrolinx board meeting in April 2016, Presto executive vice-president Robert Hollis said teaming up with a private retailer would help the agency expand the reach of the fare card program.

“One of the challenges is, how do we get cards in people’s hands?” he said.

“We view it as a very positive way to actually accelerate our card rollout.”

At the time, Hollis said he hoped to announce the partnership by the summer of 2016.

The TTC is gradually switching to the Presto system, and after initial reliability problems with card readers on streetcars and buses, TTC and Metrolinx officials say the devices are performing much better.

Presto readers have been installed on all TTC buses and streetcars, and in at least one entrance of every subway station since the end of 2016.

Uptake is growing but Presto users still make up only about 11 per cent of TTC customers.

TTC spokesperson Brad Ross said Friday the agency plans to stop selling older fare media like tokens and tickets by the beginning of 2018, and sometime next year will stop accepting any form of payment except Presto.

The TTC’s monthly passes are expected to be migrated from Metropasses to Presto later this year.

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Presto cards are currently sold at 60 Gateway Newsstands across the TTC network, according to the transportation ministry. They can also be ordered online.

According to the ministry of transportation, more than 2.7 million of the cards are now in use in the GTHA and Ottawa.

The partnership with Shoppers won’t cost Metrolinx or the TTC any money. A Metrolinx spokesperson said it would generate revenue for the provincial agency, but declined to say how much or disclose the terms of the deal.

The initial Shoppers locations in Toronto that will sell the cards are:

Agincourt Mall — 2330 Kennedy Rd.

Eglinton and Dufferin — 1840 Eglinton Ave. W.

Hudson’s Bay Centre — 20 Bloor St. E.

King and Peter — 388 King St. W.

King and Strachan — 901 King St. W.

Queen and Carlaw — 970 Queen St. E.

Queen and Bathurst — 524 Queen St. W., Unit A.

Queen Street West — 1033 Queen St. W., Unit A.

Weston and Lawrence — 1995 Weston Rd.

Westway Plaza — 1735 Kipling Ave.

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