THANK YOU TO TRISTATE RAIL NEWS FOR THIS: Starting Sunday, token sales for New York City subway and bus riders will be limited to two per person as part of the Metropolitan Transit Authority's plan to eliminate token use. Token sales will cease on April 13 and they will be completely phased out on May 4. About 85 percent of the 7 million daily bus and subway riders pay for transportation using the MetroCard. Only 8 percent of them use tokens, according to the MTA. Although the coins have long been mainstays, the MetroCards are more beneficial and ridership has increased by 36 percent under them, transit officials have said. The tokens went through five decades of usage for commuters and six makeovers. The MTA targeted tokens in its effort to cut costs and make ends meet. Last week, the agency announced that one-way transit fares would rise from $1.50 to $2 in May. Turnstiles will no longer accept tokens. Fareboxes on buses will continue to take them until Dec. 31, but riders will have to add an extra 50 cents to complete their fare.
I for one think its a great idea,having been in New York a few times after the Metrocard was introduced,think the token was outdated.By the way,I was born and spent half my life in N.Y.C.
It could be a great idea, in a perfect utopian society but, this being a subway system that transports 3 million people a day, there are also safety issues to consider. NYC MTA is using the phasing out of the token as a way to get rid of the token clerks as well in an effort to save money. The token clerk on most stations is the ONLY line of defense against burglars, thieves and anything that would contribute a hazard to a straphanger. Tokens also allowed the poorer folks in the city to have transportation because you can purchase them, one at a time. Metrocards you must buy multiple rides at once which also costs a lot more out of pocket at once. Russ TriState Rail News
I do and I don't like Metro Cards really. I mean they do benefit me, but people have to be educated about what to do with them when the money on them runs out. Has anyone ever seen a "used" token littering anything? If you see a token on the ground, you pick it up and use it! Used Metro Cards litter everything in sight. They are on platforms, tracks, stairs, in the street.......everywhere. I once counted 27 used cards lying on the tracks at my home station one morning. That was at the bottom of one of the staircases. That was only one area. There's another train platform across from me of course. And more used cards scattered all around. Of course you can't excuse human pigs that toss them about, but maybe there ought to be a 5 cent deposit on them like soda cans. Also, you can put as much as $80 on a card. I wouldn't even think of doing that. Loose a token and you loose one fare. Loose a Metro Card and you stand to loose a lot!
There is no need to see used cards tossed around. You don't see that in San Francisco or Washington, DC as the card is kept by the exit turnstile when it is used (has no value). If you don't have enough money on the card to exit you go to the Add Fare machine and add enough to get out. You can take any card that does not have enough fare left to allow entrance and add to it at any ticket machine. If the cards you see tossed away have any value the people are throwing away money.
Do not forget, the NYC subway covers 904 miles of track. Stretched out, that would be an Amtrak ride from NYC to say, South Carolina! That does not even count all the no longer used portions and the long forgotten tunnels. Point being, I would not be getting rid of any workers that could act as security on the platforms. Also, Technology breaks down. I have seen Electronic turnstyles go out of order and there were no token clerks to purchase a token from to use the token operated turnstyle. No one will convince me that the Metro Card is better than a token. Just look at the mess NJ has with their EZ-Pass system!!! Russ
We have daily, weekly, and monthly Metro cards. But people often don't bother to refill them, they just toss them away. ALL Metro Cards do have an expiration date, but that's often a year or so from the time of purchase. I also have Transit Check, which gives me one card for a year, it's cost is deducted from my paycheck. I pay for 20 working days, but I am able to use it 24/7, 7 days a week. Even if I am on vacation and I'm not using it for work, I use it often enough on weekends to catch up with that loss. I do use it anyway on vacation days if I am in the City.
This is a very interesting discussion. On one hand it's one more tradition that we are losing, on the other hand. Its a lot faster and you don't have to stand in line for tokens. I agree about the litter, you want to see litter go to Paris, (I know, what do you expect) their entire system is covered with little green/blue tickets of used rides. London (Mind The Gap), is much cleaner, there's a certain civility with the Brits. It's just not done. The Washinton DC Metro is the cleanest I've ever seen, of course it's the smallest and as was said above you need your ticket to exit. it makes a big difference. One must give some leeway to NYC. Again as apply stated ride the whole system and its like taking a trolly to South Carolina. There's so many people. Could the TA do it better, of course, but at least they're trying. As far as the safety issue, I've seen more cops on trains and in stations lately, could be HomeLand Security??? Hope they stay for a while.
No tokens needed there JT! Those M1 Abrams only get 1/2 Mile to the gallon though!!! Chris, you are correct. The increased police presence is because of homeland security and I too hope that it stays that way. Our mayor has recently held back graduating classes of police and fire personel due to budget cuts so who knows for how long it will last. Meanwhile, governor Pataki OK'ed giving an overwhelming majority of the alloted state money for security to the city to help pay for all this. Must make the rest of the state a bit upset that the city gets all. Like I always say though, Safety and Security are two things that you can not put a price on! Russ
