I am a little odd in that big changes don’t provoke a big reaction in me. Businesses go under, or elections usher in new governments, or the change the taste of Coke (again) and I mostly shrug. However, make a little change to something and I can find myself reeling in reflection.  I find significance in the minutiae. (That’s a great title for the post, but not a very revealing one…hmm)

Today, I used the last paper bus ticket I will ever use. I don’t have any for Friday and as of Saturday (Canada Day), they are no longer part of the bus system.  They have switched over to the Presto card system or some form of cell phone payment that I haven’t bothered to work out yet.

Don’t get me wrong. I knew this change was coming.  It has been in place for more than a year.  I just didn’t join it.  I just didn’t bother.  Maybe it is because I had enough plastic cards in my wallet.  Maybe it is because I don’t like the idea of loading my money onto a car all the time.  Both of these reasons are silly, but I just didn’t buy into the system that had no cost savings for me.

I remember challenging one of the early promoters of the system. He said that I should not fear change and that I should embrace it.  The funny thing is that I like change.  I like difference.  I love trying new products, new flavours, and being in new situations.  I teach the same lessons, but I never teach them the same way.  It’s just that I found nothing interesting (could I say sexy?) in changing my bus fare system.  Put TV on the bus, or give it Wi-Fi; that would be different.  Serve coffee on the bus.  Make it a double decker.  These are innovations.  Changing the fare system is just a yawn.

Also, I think my suspicion is that the other transportation system that I take (yes, I take two of them and have to pay two separate fares), which has also adopted the Presto system will start charging people not for complete trips, but for distance traveled. Once people have cards, they won’t think too much about this.  I feel this is sly and rather sneaky.

I now have my presto card, but after next week, I plan on getting the combined pass for both my transportation systems rather than load up my Presto card. This option was not available to me before, but now is.

As for my bus tickets, I am glad I have a photo of them as a reminder.  I am not sure it will ever provoke a serious wave of nostalgia, but who knows.