Durham Region Transit is again collecting fares and requiring front-door boarding, starting Thursday, July 2. It’s also raising fares that day.

“To help transition customers to ‘contact-less’ fare payment,” DRT says it’s offering free PRESTO fares cards “for a limited time”.

Starting Wednesday, June 24, DRT is distributing 2,500 PRESTO cards at no cost through these locations:

• DRT’s Customer Service Centre at 110 Westney Road South, Ajax;
• Pickering Town Centre Guest Services at 1355 Kingston Road, Pickering; and
• Oshawa Centre Guest Services at 419 King Street West, Oshawa.

The free PRESTO cards are available on a “first-come, first-served” basis, while supplies last, with a limit of one card per individual or two cards per family. You can buy more cards at the regular rate of $6 each.

DRT and PRESTO are also working with Durham Social Services to make available another 1,600 cards. DRT and PRESTO are “pre-loading” these cards with $14 to make sure those who rely on transit can save money by using a PRESTO card when DRT starts collecting fares again. Durham Social Services is distributing the cards through various non-profit community agencies, such as Feed the Need and its network of 62 organizations across Durham Region.