Why tourists think MTA and Bee-Line Buses take $1 Bills?

[FamousNYLover 541]

I know I ask too many questions but I always keep wondering.

Why tourists think Regional Buses and Bee-Line buses take $1 Bill?

Because they're delaying buses, too.

When I was like on #1302 on M42, elderly couple was cursing toward B/O because bus wouldn't take dollar bills.

 

I know Bee-Line used to before MetroCard implement. I remember there was three elderly was cursing BxM4C B/O that dollar bill is not accepted, but they should be happy because it was $5 at that time and $2.50 reduce fare off-peak.

 

On Long Island Bus, I only saw few people try to board the bus with dollar bill.

Even when B/O repeats no bills. Coins or MetroCard only.

Sometimes tourists think they could buy MetroCard on buses.

 

Is because other state/world buses allows cash, and other bus systems in their state/world sell pass?, so maybe they thought (MTA)/Bee-Line Bus do same thing?

[MAA89 0]

I don't blame them; when I was new to New York it happened to me too. Fortunately the bus operator allowed me and my father to ride though we only had two dollars in quarters (we did have plenty of dollar bills).

 

The reason they don't accept bills is that the coins in the farebox is evacuated using a vacuum pipe, and bills or paper transfers would be torn in the process. I think there should be a different procedure to get money out of the farebox, one that does not prevent bills from being used to pay the fare.

 

$4.50 for a round trip is a lot of change to be carrying around: 18 quarters, 45 dimes or 90 nickels or some combination of these denominations. If you live in an area not near a subway station or a retail outlet selling MetroCards, then you do have a problem.

 

I also think that all express bus stops, at least those not near a subway station, should have a MetroCard Vending Machine installed, and it should sell 7-Day Express Bus cards too. Its pointless to have to go to a subway station or retail outlet to buy prepaid MetroCards or Express Bus Cards if you undertake your entire journey on the Express Bus. The QM17 bus stops right around the corner from where I live, but the nearest subway station is 10 minutes walk away. If I need to use the Express Bus but don't have $5.50 on my MetroCard, or $5.50 in change, then I am unable to use the bus unless I walk 10 minutes to the station first and then another 3 minutes to the stop nearest that.

 

EDIT: If the fare is less than a dollar, for example on Roosevelt Island's Red Bus, then it's perfectly okay to refuse to accept bills. The NYCTA and LI buses need to move on and find a better system.

Edited September 4, 2009 by MAA89

[LRG 216]

It would be pointless for buses to take cash because it would slow the boarding process. And what I really don't understand is why do passengers insist on boarding the bus and asking for change when they could have got change within a minute at their convenience store. They do take dollar coins anyway. And its shocking why the disclaimer on the fareboxes say that pennies aren't accepted when I've seen pennies dropped in the farebox on several occasions. Maybe they don't want the excess change in their system?

[FamousNYLover 541]

I try to get MetroCard but Hudson NewsStand at JFK Airport does not sell MetroCard (This was when my friend and I went to pickup his friend arriving from JFK Airport. They need to replace credit card only MVM at LGA into machine that accept cash. Tourists coming out of Central Terminal are not happy that machine is credit card only.

 

Even they need to install MVM at all JFK and LGA, well as HPN, major shopping center in Westchester County, well as 34th St HBLR Bayonne, NJ (since rush hour S89 bus is there.)

 

According to (NJT) Station Guide, they have TVM at all EWR terminals.

[Y2Julio 206]

The AirTrain station at Howard Beach has a MetroCard vending machine. I don't know what you're talking about Yuki.

[Eric B 980]

This is probably the only place that doesn't take bills. So yes, they are used to buses being able to take bills. Even Liberty Lines retained the bill collectors when the Metrocard boxes were added (it was small and off to the side). Which is why I'm surprised Bee Line doesn't have that. On the BxM4C, they did, at least for a while.

 

What they should do is have dollar coin dispensers at bus stops (that would be easier to maintain, and less fagile than full MVM's. And it would be nice if dollar coins were more popular. I was so upset when the country essentially rejected the Sacajawea coins so quickly. Luckily, they're giving it another try with the presidential series, and while still not really popular, at least they're hanging on.

[FamousNYLover 541]

The AirTrain station at Howard Beach has a MetroCard vending machine. I don't know what you're talking about Yuki.

I meant there is no subway vending machine in the airport. I try to get Unlimited MetroCard for his friend at Hudson Newstand in JFK, but they don't sell them.

 

I meant for people who want to buy unlimited ride for subway-bus/bee-line because they have to paid $5 to exit to get unlimited metrocard.

[Y2Julio 206]

but there is one at the Subway Station and AirTrain station, so what's the problem?

[FamousNYLover 541]

but there is one at the Subway Station and AirTrain station, so what's the problem?

It not for me. Maybe, some tourists want to avoid spending $5 for AirtrainJFK.

 

 

LGA has Subway MVM at Central Terminal which is Credit Card only, and maybe JFK and HPN could do same thing.

[SevenEleven 2,326]

Anyways, many tourists think that the buses take $1 because that's how it probably is in the rest of the world. I remembered when I went to London younger and traveled on the buses with my cousin, I paid the fare but forgot to collect the change because I was so used to the fare with essentially no change to collect.

[MAA89 0]

What they should do is have dollar coin dispensers at bus stops (that would be easier to maintain, and less fagile than full MVM's. And it would be nice if dollar coins were more popular. I was so upset when the country essentially rejected the Sacajawea coins so quickly. Luckily, they're giving it another try with the presidential series, and while still not really popular, at least they're hanging on.

 

While that works to an extent, passengers carrying only credit/debit cards will not be able to pay (assuming they are not using the EasyPay Express MetroCard or left their's at home). There is also the issue of not providing exact change: buses take exact change only, and if you overpay, you do not get back any change. Three dollar coins will end up being 75 cents more than is needed for a single ride. There has to be a way in which at least Single Ride tickets and/or Bus Transfers can be obtained while paying with cash or credit, and in the former case, exact change is provided to the user as with MVMs.

 

I don't think that accepting dollar bills will slow down boarding significantly: most people still pay by MetroCard, and it may be possible for two riders to pay simultaneously, one by MetroCard and one in cash. However, problems similar to those of commercial vending machines (e.g. for soda, chips etc) can arise: where some machines accept dirty, soggy, crinkly notes while others spit out perfectly new, crisp ones. As long as the latter doesn't happen on buses, boarding cannot be as big a problem.

[Zman 8]

I was so upset when the country essentially rejected the Sacajawea coins so quickly. Luckily, they're giving it another try with the presidential series, and while still not really popular, at least they're hanging on.

 

It really wasn't a shock when the Sock-it-to-me dollars were rejected. Realistically, the only, and I mean only, way to make the dollar coins more popular is to eliminate the dollar bill. That's what other countries did (i.e. Canada, United Kingdom, etc.) Mint more $1 coins and resurrect the $2 bill.

[Amtrak7 427]

NYC has too many buses to not use the vacuum hose method. The president of NYCT has stated that they will definitely never go back to dollar bills. True, nearly every other bus system in the country takes them.

 

I, having grown up in the metro area, at first believed the other way around. That is, until I learned that SCT took them.

 

It really isn't a good idea to start the program, but I agree that dollar coin dispensers should be at major bus stops.

[PATCOman 196]

It not for me. Maybe, some tourists want to avoid spending $5 for AirtrainJFK.

 

 

LGA has Subway MVM at Central Terminal which is Credit Card only, and maybe JFK and HPN could do same thing.

 

Maybe you want to take the Q10 instead of the Airtrain.

Edited September 5, 2009 by PATCOman

[Zman 8]

Maybe you want to take the Q10 instead of the Airtrain.

 

Yeah, nothing like doing some railfanning and busfanning with a bunch of luggage.

 

Funk that! Gimme the Airtrain or a cab.

[Eric B 980]

While that works to an extent, passengers carrying only credit/debit cards will not be able to pay (assuming they are not using the EasyPay Express MetroCard or left their's at home). There is also the issue of not providing exact change: buses take exact change only, and if you overpay, you do not get back any change. Three dollar coins will end up being 75 cents more than is needed for a single ride. There has to be a way in which at least Single Ride tickets and/or Bus Transfers can be obtained while paying with cash or credit, and in the former case, exact change is provided to the user as with MVMs.

Yes, but still, iif you have three dollars, it is much easier to get change for just one of them, and have the other two as coins the box will already take.

 

(IIRC, someone mentioned pennies. Yes, the boxes have always taken pennies, and you can use them in an emergency, but of course they discourage them so that they don't getflooed with them).

[R32 3348 10]

I know I ask too many questions

You know I hope you realize this doesn't excuse you from asking more questions anyway.

Why tourists think Regional Buses and Bee-Line buses take $1 Bill?

Because they're delaying buses, too.

When I was like on #1302 on M42, elderly couple was cursing toward B/O because bus wouldn't take dollar bills.

As other people have already stated, other bus systems in the world accept dollar bills on buses. Tourists generally do not read up on the rules and everything when they come to New York and have to ride NYC buses. This is why they don't know.

It would be pointless for buses to take cash because it would slow the boarding process. And what I really don't understand is why do passengers insist on boarding the bus and asking for change when they could have got change within a minute at their convenience store. They do take dollar coins anyway. And its shocking why the disclaimer on the fareboxes say that pennies aren't accepted when I've seen pennies dropped in the farebox on several occasions. Maybe they don't want the excess change in their system?

I don't think it would slow the boarding process by much, if you offer the usage of dollar bills in the right way. For example, you can add dollar bill collectors at the SBS stops, and any future SBS route. The only problem with that is you would have to find a way to crack down on farebeaters, which is a rampant problem on the Bx12 SBS.

[MAA89 0]

Accepting dollar bills on MTA buses WILL slow down buses even more. When the MTA introduced Metrocards, dwell times increased as much as 30%. When tokens were the norm (something I remember fondly), buses had little dwell time at bus stops. Dwell times is one contributing factor on why the TA wants to implement smart cards/RIFD based technology.

 

I was considering jokingly suggesting elsewhere in this thread that the MTA brings back tokens for buses. However, that still wouldn't solve my problems if I find myself at a bus stop with zero dollars on my MetroCard and only bills/debit cards in my pocket. There has to be a way in which major bus stops, say every 10-12 blocks for a local that usually stops every 3 blocks, can dispense change, MetroCards or receipts that can be used as proof of payment, and accept bills and/or credit/debit cards.

 

Of course, all this would be a wasted investment if SmartCard technology is implemented and widely embraced, unless there is a way to refill Smartcards at bus stops. I have my doubts that some people would be resistant to Smartcard use. Typically, a Smart Card will require a fee/deposit for the card itself, which some people will balk at paying (EasyPay Express Metrocards have a $45 initial deposit too, but all of this is usable to pay for rides). And while cell phones can possibly be configured to include RFID tags, questions arise as to how to implement such a system: certain persons may not (voluntarily or otherwise) have cell phones, and those that do may be unable or unwilling to install chips on them.

[LRG 216]

Can the buses initiate some sort of EZ Pass system in which that they have the money linked from a bank account onto their "EZ pass card" by having passengers scan their cards?

[aemoreira81 947]

It not for me. Maybe, some tourists want to avoid spending $5 for AirtrainJFK.

 

 

LGA has Subway MVM at Central Terminal which is Credit Card only, and maybe JFK and HPN could do same thing.

 

At the same time, maybe the MTA's thinking is that one would not be using an MTA bus as the first mode of transit into the city center.

[MAA89 0]

Can the buses initiate some sort of EZ Pass system in which that they have the money linked from a bank account onto their "EZ pass card" by having passengers scan their cards?

 

I don't see what you mean? You cannot carry an EZ Pass tag around on yourself, nor can you use the one in your car to pay for a bus. Unless the EZ Pass tags come with a portable, RFID-embedded card on which subway fares can be stored, I don't see how it would work. In any case, the EZ Pass is administered by the Port Authority, so I do not see the technology being used to collect revenue for the .