Privacy and Security
Have questions about privacy and security when using PRESTO? Get the answers to some of our most asked questions here.
We know how important your personal information is to youPRESTO is committed to keeping your information confidential
We never sell our customers’ personal information, and we ensure that staff that handle personal customer information receives the necessary training so that you can be confident your information is protected and used appropriatelyThis applies to all PRESTO and Metrolinx employees and agents
Your information will only be shared with third parties in a very limited number of serious circumstances in accordance with PRESTO’s Privacy Policy and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) where:
- there are immediate and compelling concerns about an individual’s health or safety;
- or required to comply with laws, regulations, or court order; or
- an investigation is underway concerning a potential fraud or criminal offence
In these rare situations, you can be assured that any request for information is considered very carefully to protect your privacyAny disclosure of your personal information is compliant with PRESTO’s Privacy Policy and the requirements of FIPPA and only the minimum amount of information is provided
Our Privacy Policy ensures that your information is protected at all times
Was this information helpful?
Under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), in certain circumstances, Metrolinx may share personal information of its PRESTO customers in response to a reasonable request from a police officer, special constable, or transit safety officer (“officers”)Each request for information from such officers is reviewed by the Metrolinx Privacy Office to ensure that Metrolinx’s response is compliant with our Privacy Policy and with FIPPA.
Was this information helpful?
Our Law Enforcement Request Reports are published annually as an appendix in the first PRESTO Board Report of the year.
Was this information helpful?
Depending on how you interact with the Virtual Assistant, we collect:
- Chat content: the questions you ask and any information you choose to share in your messages;
- Attachments: any screenshots or files you upload to help explain an issue;
- Technical details: date and time of your session, language preference, browser or device type, and IP address;
- Service identifiers: internal identifiers used to route your request, maintain session continuity, and improve the performance of the Virtual Assistant.
Where possible, the Virtual Assistant is designed to work with general questions and does not require you to provide identifying details.
Was this information helpful?
Please only share what is required to answer your question.
Do not share information, including attachment’s, that contain information not required to use our services such as:
- government-issued identification numbers
- health information or information about another person’s health
- information related to your personal beliefs, etc
If you do choose to share sensitive information, it will only be processed for the limited purposes of:
- responding to your inquiry; and
- maintaining and improving the quality and security of the Virtual Assistant,
in line with PRESTO’s safeguards and retention rulesFor highly sensitive or urgent matters, we recommend asking to speak with a Live Agent instead.
Was this information helpful?
The PRESTO Virtual Assistant uses an AI-powered chat system to understand your question and provide a response using PRESTO-approved information and rules It works by identifying your intent, retrieving relevant content from PRESTO’s knowledge base and systems, and presenting that information in a conversational wayThe Virtual Assistant does not make decisions about your eligibility for services or take any regulatory action on its own (e.gsuspension, restriction, or termination of a PRESTO account) .
The AI technology used by the Virtual Assistant is pre-trained by its provider on a large mix of publicly available and licensed data. Your individual chat conversations are not used to train or retrain the underlying AI model.
Your chat messages may be logged and reviewed by authorized Metrolinx staff or service providers for limited purposes such as:
- troubleshooting technical issues,
- improving response accuracy and customer experience, and
- testing or updating the Virtual Assistant’s predefined conversation flows.
Any review or use of chat logs for improvement is conducted under contractual, security, and governance controls, and is focused on improving how the Virtual Assistant is configured, not on training the AI model itself.
The Virtual Assistant does not have independent access to your PRESTO account or payment information. It only uses personal information when it is required to support a request you initiate (for example, through secure connections to PRESTO systems), or when a Live Agent becomes involved to assist youHuman agents remain available, and you can always choose to escalate a conversation or stop using the Virtual Assistant.
Was this information helpful?
Your chats may be accessed by:
- Authorized Metrolinx staff, such as customer service, technology, and privacy teams; and
- Authorized service providers that support the Virtual Assistant, acting under contract with Metrolinx.
Chat records are stored on servers located in Canada, with safeguards that are consistent with PRESTO’s technical and organizational security measures.
Was this information helpful?
Under FIPPA, you have the right to:
- request access to your personal information held by Metrolinx; and
- request correction if you believe the information is inaccurate or incomplete.
To make an access or correction request, or to ask questions about how your information is handled, please contact:
Metrolinx Freedom of Information and Privacy Office
Was this information helpful?
The PRESTO Virtual Assistant is an AI-enabled chatbot that helps answer common questions about PRESTO products and services, including certain Transit Agency–specific programs and policiesIt is designed to provide quick, self-serve support, and to connect you to a Live Agent when needed.
Was this information helpful?
NoUsing the Virtual Assistant is optional.
You can always:
- Visit the PRESTO website or your local Transit Agency’s official website for up-to-date service information;
- Contact PRESTO or your Transit Agency through their regular customer service channels; or
- Ask the Virtual Assistant to connect you to a Live Agent (when available).
Was this information helpful?
The Virtual Assistant is provided by Metrolinx, which is responsible for the collection, use and protection of your personal information under the Metrolinx Act, 2006 and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).
Metrolinx uses specialized service providers (including AI technology providers) to operate and support the Virtual AssistantThese providers act on Metrolinx’s behalf and must follow our privacy and security requirements.
Was this information helpful?