Thursday, January 31 will be the last day that Burlington Transit passengers can exchange any remaining value on their ComboCards.

You can exchange any remaining value on the card for the equivalent value in Burlington Transit tickets.

On Friday, February 1, Burlington Transit staff will remove all ComboCard point-of-sale equipment, so passengers must exchange their card balance for tickets before or on January 31. No equipment will be available to read the cards after that day.

Burlington Transit was a pioneer among area transit systems in using using “smart card” technology. However, it is “decommissioning” its ComboCard to make way for the regional Presto card, which Metrolinx will introduce this fall. Presto will also be a smart card, similar to the ComboCard, and will help passengers pay for transit fares and transfer from one transit system to another during a single trip.

(Metrolinx is the new name for the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority, a provincial body that co-ordinates transit services and transportation initiatives in the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton.)