Surcharge for Metrocards?

- Newly proposed fare hikes by the MTA may include a $1 surcharge for riders who don't re-use their cards.

In order to save money and produce less waste, the MTA wants to give straphangers extra incentive to save their MTA cards, while simultaneously ease a $400 million deficit for 2010. A $1 surcharge would automatically be added to all purchases of new metro cards at vending machines.

There are other proposals that are currently being considered, including putting a cap on the number of times the unlimited weekly and monthly passes can be used.

Such a move would generate money for the beleaguered transit authority by preventing sharing of the unlimited passes.

More here: http://www.wpix.com/news/local/wpix-mta-to-include-surcharge,0,2242439.story

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This is some ol' (. Putting a cap on the # of times you can use an unlimited metrocard? It's called an unlimited for a reason.

Bring it on. You can easily avoid the surcharge if you just refill your card instead of buying a new one. They really need to make the Metrocard Vending Machines more reliable though, and find a way to refill Unlimited Metrocards (EZPay Xpress Unlimited?) so that half the riders in the system don't have to pay that surcharge regardless.

I don't get why they would put a limit on Unlimited rides though. I guess they want more people to use the pay-per-ride cards so they get the whole $2.25 in revenue.

Bring it on. You can easily avoid the surcharge if you just refill your card instead of buying a new one. They really need to make the Metrocard Vending Machines more reliable though, and find a way to refill Unlimited Metrocards (EZPay Xpress Unlimited?) so that half the riders in the system don't have to pay that surcharge regardless.

 

I don't get why they would put a limit on Unlimited rides though. I guess they want more people to use the pay-per-ride cards so they get the whole $2.25 in revenue.

Yea it can easily be avoided, but what about for tourists for their first time in the system? They'll wind up having to pay extra. Then again they could just pick up a card off the floor and use that since there's soo many of them laying around.

It's just them putting a limit on unlimited cards that grinds my gears.

Bring it on. You can easily avoid the surcharge if you just refill your card instead of buying a new one.

From what I understand... that's the whole point of this surcharge.

It's just them putting a limit on unlimited cards that grinds my gears.

Same here.

So what happens? Now I may have to pay EXTRA for the EXPENSIVE metrocard I buy now!? This is crap. Why the hell can I NOT refill my unlimited and then have to pay extra for a new one. AND THEN They want to LIMIT my UNLIMITED!? Total crap!

Jay Walder, GO BACK TO LONDON :mad:

Technically, there is a limit to how many times you can use an unlimited card. Because of the 18 minute delay, you can only swipe the card 80 times in 24 hours. For a monthly card, that is 2400 times.

But seriously, I don't see what the point is of putting a cap on the number of times you can use an Unlimited MetroCard. I guess that would decrease ridership so they could decrease service. Still, I think it is a bad idea because sometimes people only make trips because they know it will be free, which boosts the economy as a result of the extra business as a result of the Unlimited MetroCard. People can go from Lower Manhattan to Union Square for lunch during their lunch break and buy a more expensive meal because the cost of the transit fare isn't a barrier. Also, people might use other forms of transportation, such as taxis, since it isn't the difference between a free ride and a $20 taxi ride, now it is the difference between $2.25 and a $20 taxi ride. Factor in the fact that you can split the cab fare with another person and the taxi ride is more appealing.

The $1 surcharge would help reduce waste, but I think that there should be a way for Unlimited MetroCard users to hand in their old MetroCard and get a new one.

The $1 surcharge would help reduce waste, but I think that there should be a way for Unlimited MetroCard users to hand in their old MetroCard and get a new one.

What they just want to do is increase the fare without making it immediately evident.

Oh, god. If unlimited cards could be refillable, the $1 surcharge for a new card would be an excellent idea. Usage caps should not be lower than 6 swipes/day. (42/week and 180/month).

Another rumor is the elimination of off-peak commuter rail fares. That would be terrible!

Here are 2 ideas that could get more money:

-Eliminate all express bus-express bus transfers.

-Eliminate the PPR bonuses

-Eliminate the PPR bonuses

Actually, the PPR bonus is working in favor of MTA to drive people crazy to refill the exact amount to get in and out of MTA system without having the leftovers.

Good now people can stop sh9t canning metrocards and making the spend more..

JUST REUSE!

ID based MC isn't the only Metro needed to be reused, reuse the Gold MCs too..

I do hope the charges at least 1.10$ for students next year. They should also pay up especially since half of them farebeat even with a Student MC. Not meant to those on this forum..

Good now people can stop sh9t canning metrocards and making the spend more..

 

JUST REUSE!

 

ID based MC isn't the only Metro needed to be reused, reuse the Gold MCs too..

 

I do hope the charges at least 1.10$ for students next year. They should also pay up especially since half of them farebeat even with a Student MC. Not meant to those on this forum..

Let us reuse Unlimiteds then.

And about the student thing. I don't give a crap....I'm no longer in the school system

Putting a cap on how many times you use your unlimited??? The f***ing kind of mess is that? I agree with Dave; it's called an UNLIMITED for a reason!

I wonder how this would work for Bee Line in Westchester because over here, that would go over as simply raising the fare again since there is no way to refill a MetroCard unless we run into the city.

.

Still, I think it is a bad idea because sometimes people only make trips because they know it will be free, which boosts the economy as a result of the extra business as a result of the Unlimited MetroCard. People can go from Lower Manhattan to Union Square for lunch during their lunch break and buy a more expensive meal because the cost of the transit fare isn't a barrier.

 

I'm one of those people!!!!!! Because of unlimited rides, I always try new restaurants and stores because I know the cost of my trip is already paid for. If I have to worry about how many trips I take, I won't be going anywhere.

Here's the story from Crain's

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100709/FREE/100709864

Oh, god. If unlimited cards could be refillable, the $1 surcharge for a new card would be an excellent idea. Usage caps should not be lower than 6 swipes/day. (42/week and 180/month).

 

Another rumor is the elimination of off-peak commuter rail fares. That would be terrible!

 

Here are 2 ideas that could get more money:

 

-Eliminate all express bus-express bus transfers.

-Eliminate the PPR bonuses

I know Forest Glen would go nuts on your idea (whatever happened to him here )to can 'free' express bus-express bus' transfers but I do agree Amtrak. I also agree with canning PPR bonuses and frequent users can use unlimited metrocards.

Elimnation of off peak fares on Metro North/LIRR will hurt someone like me alot who goes to NYC alot on weekends to visit relatives and friends who still live in the 5 boros. The current peak fare 1-way is already close to $20 from Poughkeepsie or Beacon and this would put riders like myself more likely to drive to the 'city' and thus clog up roads like the Major Degan, Cross Bronx/I-95 and LIE even more.:tdown::mad:

Why is Sen Schumer or any member of the NY/NJ congressional delgation not asking for a mass transit bailout? It crisis time now and if not soon we might be stuck w/ 1)$5.00 NYC subway/bus basic fare 2)End of almost all NYC buses that runs overnight. 3)end of LIRR overnight service even to/from NY-Penn Station 4)Hourly NYC subway service.

If there is a limit to how many times you can use a unlimited card, it's no longer "unlimited"

I don't agree with this $1 surchage crap until they can fix the bugs with refilling previous Metrocards. One time in the winter, I had an used up PPR Metrocard about a week old. I decided to refill that and change it into a Fun Pass. On the second time that I swiped, the turnstile said that it had Insufficient Funds. That's bs if you ask me.

Putting a limit on unlimited cards........ retarded.

Making metrocards cost a dollar........... retarded

Are these idiots insane? Are they trying to make the economic recovery stall? :mad:

How bout cut the top 5% of wages.

- A

I have a feeling the Metrocard $1 surcharge will only apply to Pay Per-ride and not Unlimited.And also I think after like a month no one will go for the surcharge.

The 18 minute "cooldown" on an Unlimited-Ride card only applies to the same line/station you just used, transferring to another bus/subway will still work.

Good now people can stop sh9t canning metrocards and making the spend more..

 

JUST REUSE!

 

ID based MC isn't the only Metro needed to be reused, reuse the Gold MCs too..

 

I do hope the charges at least 1.10$ for students next year. They should also pay up especially since half of them farebeat even with a Student MC. Not meant to those on this forum..

First of all, they abandoned the plan to eliminate Student MetroCards.

Second of all, as I have already said in other threads, it would be worse for the city as a whole if they took away the free Student MetroCards. If "half of them farebeat even with a Student MC" then what would taking them away do? Save the MTA about 7 cents per MetroCard? That is about $11,150, which is pennies to the MTA.

Putting a limit on unlimited cards........ retarded.

 

Making metrocards cost a dollar........... retarded

 

Are these idiots insane? Are they trying to make the economic recovery stall? :mad:

 

How bout cut the top 5% of wages.

 

- A

Yeah, except the administration took a 15% pay cut months ago, which saved $49 million. If you don't want to pay the $1 surcharge then simply refill your old card.

Oh, god. If unlimited cards could be refillable, the $1 surcharge for a new card would be an excellent idea. Usage caps should not be lower than 6 swipes/day. (42/week and 180/month).

 

Another rumor is the elimination of off-peak commuter rail fares. That would be terrible!

 

Here are 2 ideas that could get more money:

 

-Eliminate all express bus-express bus transfers.

-Eliminate the PPR bonuses

The extra 15% Pay-Per-Ride bonus is for users who use the system frequently enough, but don't use it often enough for an Unlimited MetroCard. (Like my family, for instance). Either workers who just use their MetroCard to get too and from work, or people who just use the transit system occasionally. If you eliminate the bonus, those people would still ride, but the MTA might have more people buying SingleRide tickets (for the subway) or paying in coins (for ths bus), which cancels out a lot of the savings.

For example, when you go to the store, the bigger container always has a cheaper per-unit cost than the small container, because there is an additional cost to packaging and processing when you put it in a small container. If you don't offer a discount buying several rides at once, you would have more people paying by the fare.

With the express bus transfers, I can't really see how that would raise a whole lot of money. Not a lot of people realize that you can even transfer from express bus to express bus. Also, it actually saves the MTA some money as they can have everybody transfer to one express bus to get to a different point (the BxM18 is the only Bronx express bus to Lower Manhattan. Instead of running all of the express buses to Lower Manhattan, the MTA just lets people transfer to the BxM18, and it allows them to use the excess capacity on the BxM18. As far as other lines go, I just see it as no different than a regular local bus-local bus transfer. You pay your fare and you are entitled to transfer to another mode of equal or lesser value.

Elimination of off-peak fares would be "shoooting themselves in the foot". The cost for off-peak service is less than that for peak service. The reason being that you have a lot of service during rush hours, but less service in between, so the extra drivers don't have anything to do during that time. Also, if you look at express bus routes, you run the buses empty in the late AM rush and early PM rush to and from Manhattan while paying the drivers. If there was an incentive to travel off-peak, or reverse-peak, there would be fewer inefficient deadheads.

I would probably go for higher fares during peak hours than off-peak hours rather than capping Unlimited MetroCards, eliminating bonuses, or eliminating express bus-express bus transfers.

(NYCT)= SCUMBAGS

$1 for a garbage metrocard that gets damaged easily and wont last more than a few months and then you start looking like some moron cause youre standing there swiping over and over again because the cards mag-strip wore out...

F You (NYCT)

!!! We dont want that MTA :mad: :tdown: !!! Its a REALLY bad idea!