It's soon going to be a lot easier to use Presto

If you haven't already hopped aboard the speeding mobile wallet train, chances are you'll be doing it soon - and Metrolinx knows it.

The regional transit agency's board of directors is set to discuss the implementation of something called "PRESTO Mobile" during a scheduled meeting next Thursday.

Presentation slides published ahead of time detail how this mobile payment program would work and, more importantly, how it would make using public transportation a seamless experience in and around Toronto.

A mobile PRESTO card would function much like a credit card, debit card, rewards account, concert ticket or anything else that can be transferred onto a personal device right now.

An individual could simply load his or her PRESTO account into an app like Apple Pay or Android Pay and eliminate the need to carry a plastic card (and thus the need to dig around in a wallet for that card every time they board the TTC).

Users would pay upon boarding with just a tap of their phone, even when the device is offline, without ever opening the app.

The Metrolinx document promises that this type of service would make public transit "easier to use" and "easier to choose" thanks to the integration of real-time route and vehicle information, transaction history and the ability to top up a card balance instantly using Apple Pay. 

No timeline is in place for the rollout of this program, as it's only just being proposed - but the idea is promising.

Hopefully our transit agencies can fix their PRESTO readers in time for the future. It's coming fast.