Read error

[Abba]

So i'm sure we all know when sometimes we swipe the card it says "Read error".What kind of expressions have you seen from bus drivers about it? Do they let you go anyway?

[checkmatechamp13]

It has only happened to me a couple of times. One time, I tried rubbing it on my shirt to straighten it out, and it worked. Another time, I tried dipping it in again, and, after "sucking" the MetroCard for a minute, it was able to read it.

 

The other few times, the bus drivers just let me on. What else can they really do: You attempted to pay the fare, but the farebox wouldn't read it, through no fault of your own.

[Kamen Rider]

Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters

[SoSpectacular]

Had that happen after my two-week unlimited had an unfortunate accident with the magnet on my cellphone- the card kept giving a read error but the drivers let me slide that day, luckily...

[PATCOman]

I used to get a lot of read errors when I kept my Metrocard in my pocket. In hot months, the Metrocard decal would fade away and some of the magnetic stripe faded which would cause a read error. Now that I keep it in my wallet pocket, I don't get any problems.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I had a few B/Os give me a hard time w/my Unlimited Express Bus Plus card. They're a bit more difficult on the express bus but sometimes they can be tough on the local buses too. I boarded an X1 a few years back and the B/O had the nerve to tell me that I'll need to use another card. I told him my card worked just fine and that I would keep dipping it until that card read since it was unlimited and I was not ditching that one after having just used it a few days into its 7 day cycle. After about the third or fourth time on a long wait, it finally read the card and that shut him up quick. I knew what was going on though. He saw a young guy boarding the express bus, so automatically he was going to be difficult.

 

Now the last time I had a problem maybe a year or two ago was when I bought a new Unlimited Express Bus Plus card to replace the one that would expire that Friday. I started using the new one that Saturday and the first bus I boarded on a new local bus nonetheless screwed up my card on every bus thereafter (express and local) and I had to wind up buying a new one before the day was over. I was annoyed to say the least and this B/O on the (B4) is going to tell me that I needed to pay my fare even though the card could not be read. I told him I had no problem showing my receipt and he kept on about how I needed to pay. He did let me on eventually, but I did not understand why he was being so difficult when the card couldn't be read as if I was beating the system or something...

 

I used to be resistent because to be out of $45 twice over was rather annoying when if you go the normal route you'd be waiting for that $45 a good few months, plus you'd lose one or two days on the card since you usually can't reach the Metrocard # after a certain time on the weekends to do anything about the problem.

 

What I started doing though is I would dispute the charge w/my bank and have my money back the same day which the didn't like very much. They put a block on my bank card, which eventually I wound up swapping out anyway. Now though I just use a credit card which covers me in that those funds can be deferred so that I don't have to pay right away should a problem arise. :cool:

 

My question is why are some B/Os so difficult if the card says "READ ERROR"? They seem to be less resistent if they see multiple people having a problem, but why be so difficult in the first place? If the card cannot be read, the policy should be to just let the passenger on.

[unclephil]

So i'm sure we all know when sometimes we swipe the card it says "Read error".What kind of expressions have you seen from bus drivers about it? Do they let you go anyway?

 

I got a supply of the special alcohol saturated cards from a revenue maintainer and dipped it in the farebox when I got on the bus and that took care of a lot of the read errors that were caused by dirty boxes.

[Y2Julio]

My question is why are some B/Os so difficult if the card says "READ ERROR"? They seem to be less resistent if they see multiple people having a problem, but why be so difficult in the first place? If the card cannot be read, the policy should be to just let the passenger on.

 

Because you haven't paid your fare.

[LRG]

I had a few B/Os give me a hard time w/my Unlimited Express Bus Plus card. They're a bit more difficult on the express bus but sometimes they can be tough on the local buses too. I boarded an X1 a few years back and the B/O had the nerve to tell me that I'll need to use another card. I told him my card worked just fine and that I would keep dipping it until that card read since it was unlimited and I was not ditching that one after having just used it a few days into its 7 day cycle. After about the third or fourth time on a long wait, it finally read the card and that shut him up quick. I knew what was going on though. He saw a young guy boarding the express bus, so automatically he was going to be difficult.

 

Now the last time I had a problem maybe a year or two ago was when I bought a new Unlimited Express Bus Plus card to replace the one that would expire that Friday. I started using the new one that Saturday and the first bus I boarded on a new local bus nonetheless screwed up my card on every bus thereafter (express and local) and I had to wind up buying a new one before the day was over. I was annoyed to say the least and this B/O on the (B4) is going to tell me that I needed to pay my fare even though the card could not be read. I told him I had no problem showing my receipt and he kept on about how I needed to pay. He did let me on eventually, but I did not understand why he was being so difficult when the card couldn't be read as if I was beating the system or something...

 

I used to be resistent because to be out of $45 twice over was rather annoying when if you go the normal route you'd be waiting for that $45 a good few months, plus you'd lose one or two days on the card since you usually can't reach the Metrocard # after a certain time on the weekends to do anything about the problem.

 

What I started doing though is I would dispute the charge w/my bank and have my money back the same day which the didn't like very much. They put a block on my bank card, which eventually I wound up swapping out anyway. Now though I just use a credit card which covers me in that those funds can be deferred so that I don't have to pay right away should a problem arise. :cool:

 

Oh yeah...I had that same problem myself back in April on the X10...my card had more than $5.50 on it the card kept on saying read error...I dipped the card four times...he even tried dipping the card himself, wiping it with his jacket, the whole nine. Eventually he gave up and let me board.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Because you haven't paid your fare.

 

Okay, sure, if you say so. There has to be an easier way to verify an unlimited Express bus pass though seeing that I've already pre-paid to ride in advance. Anyway, my question is when your card is "damaged" or whatever, how does the verify how many days you had left on the card when you send the card in?

[Y2Julio]

Okay, sure, if you say so. There has to be an easier way to verify an unlimited pass though seeing that I've already pre-paid to ride in advance.

It's not his job to check, only to see if you've paid your fare or not. It's like you trying to argue with a police officer for giving you a ticket. It's not his job to debate with you the law being cited, that's for you to debate it with the Judge and Courts. The

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Oh yeah...I had that same problem myself back in April on the X10...my card had more than $5.50 on it the card kept on saying read error...I dipped the card four times...he even tried dipping the card himself, wiping it with his jacket, the whole nine. Eventually he gave up and let me board.

 

Did you still have the amount left on the card though? I avoid the pay-per-ride cards like the plague, this way I lessen my chances of getting ripped off. I have to say though of late there have been very few problems w/my Express Bus Plus Metrocards. I try to get them from the same spot and keep them in my wallet and don't allow the card to rub against anything, so that probably helps lower any problems so long as I don't get a dirty fare box.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

It's not his job to check, only to see if you've paid your fare or not. It's like you trying to argue with a police officer for giving you a ticket. It's not his job to debate with you the law being cited, that's for you to debate it with the Judge and Courts. The

 

Yes, I know. The thing is though what's the point of having the receipt showing that you paid and everything? I mean sure it's good for returning the card if it's damaged, but it's useless otherwise. I always carry my receipt with me as proof that I paid. In other words, it would be nice to lessen the hassle of trying to get somewhere and then finding out that your card doesn't work and being forced to have to get another one to replace the malfunctioning one. I assume the smart cards will help with this problem no?

[Y2Julio]

Yes, I know. The thing is though what's the point of having the receipt showing that you paid and everything? I mean sure it's good for returning the card if it's damaged, but it's useless otherwise. I always carry my receipt with me as proof that I paid. In other words, it would be nice to lessen the hassle of trying to get somewhere and then finding out that your card doesn't work and being forced to have to get another one to replace the malfunctioning one. I assume the smart cards will help with this problem no?

Yeah, I know what you're saying about the receipts but they don't display enough information for it to really be used since they only display the purchase price and don't list the MetroCard number for the card purchased. The smart cards are RFID so there would be no issues in terms of dirty readers since it's wireless.

[LRG]

Did you still have the amount left on the card though? I avoid the pay-per-ride cards like the plague, this way I lessen my chances of getting ripped off. I have to say though of late there have been very few problems w/my Express Bus Plus Metrocards. I try to get them from the same spot and keep them in my wallet and don't allow the card to rub against anything, so that probably helps lower any problems so long as I don't get a dirty fare box.

 

I actually did...basically I rode the bus for free even though I had fare on the card...the farebox wasn't picking it up off the card.

 

Sometimes the fareboxes can get dirty and it can really eff up your card...I remember I had a two-weekly metrocard and on the second or third day I had it one bus' farebox basically screwed up the card for good and I had to get a new one.

[Noflexdont]

Y2julio is correct you have not paid the fare. The information clearly says on the back of a bus transfer to PAY the fare, note the date, time bus number bus route and direction. For the most part i check the card to see if the damage has been done on purpose, if i can tell it has been i tell you to pay the fare by other means. I direct whoever that's having read error problems to a Station Agent and tell them to get a business reply envelope with the proper form so they can get credit for there card.

 

[checkmatechamp13]

But that's the thing: It says it on the back of a transfer, where it is easier to determine if there was a malfunction.

 

In any case, this is only a problem if the B/O doesn't let you on. Most B/Os I've encountered just want to keep the bus moving, and, as long as the person has attempted to pay the fare, they let them on.

[QM1to6Ave]

Once in a while, I have gotten the "read error" message, had the B/O just wave me (and everyone else it was happening to-clearly a farebox issue) on, then get on the subway 20 minutes later and it shows that the bus did take the fare off, becuase I got a transfer into the subway.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Y2julio is correct you have not paid the fare. The information clearly says on the back of a bus transfer to PAY the fare, note the date, time bus number bus route and direction. For the most part i check the card to see if the damage has been done on purpose, if i can tell it has been i tell you to pay the fare by other means. I direct whoever that's having read error problems to a Station Agent and tell them to get a business reply envelope with the proper form so they can get credit for there card.

 

 

All I can say is I look forward to the smart cards. Anyone with an unlimited Metrocard has already paid in advance to ride the bus, so all we need to do is have the machine read the card and verify the expiration date. I can't think of any other situation where you've paid in advance, have a receipt as proof of payment and are expected to "pay" again... LOL

 

The thing is this policy isn't stated on the Metrocards... Perhaps the policy should be noted on the back of Metrocards to make things clear. I haven't used one of those paper transfers in ages and never actually read the back since I never had a problem using those.

 

Also, why is it that they can issue you a new Metrocard at token booths for pay-per-ride Metrocards, but not for Unlimited ones??

[MHV9218]

Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters

[Joel Up Front]

So that's where the direction on the back of the transfers comes from. I have a transfer from the N41 and all it says is the route number (41) and the direction (to Freeport, and southern terminals are usually signed with 03)... it's like the wants people to learn geography in order to get their money back when people have problems paying fares.

[Vistausss]

For the most part I know all the B/Os on my daily routes, so they're always pretty chill with it. Still, you get a guy you don't know, you generally get a dirty look. And not without good reason, our B/Os barely make anything for the work they do, and if you get on without paying you're not exactly helping the cause.

 

True. I fully agree with you. Though what if this happens? http://www.nyctransitforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=395340&postcount=18

Then it looks like not payed, but do is and then there is a problem.

[Hawk Operator]

Spoke with several B/Os, all stated that a passenger with "read error" 2 or 3x today okay, tommorow maybe, third day you gotta pay"