MTA cards may soon be replaced by 'contactless' credit card as 'E-ZPass' for subway riders

[Shortline Bus]

MTA cards may soon be replaced by 'contactless' credit card as 'E-ZPass' for subway riders

BY Pete Donohue

NY DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

 

Sunday, May 8th 2011

 

 

"The MetroCard's days are numbered, and its replacement might already be in your wallet.

 

In a few years, subway riders could be able to open turnstiles with the tap of a credit card - or with a new pass they're calling the MTA Card, the Daily News has learned. Straphangers also will be able to establish travel accounts and transfer money via home computers or the nearest automatic bank machine.

 

Those are some of the features the Metropolitan Transportation Authority envisions for the fare system that officials say will replace the MetroCard in three or four years - and could save the agency millions.

 

"It's E-ZPass for transit," said MTA Chief Financial Officer Charles Monheim.

 

On Tuesday, the MTA will unveil its post-MetroCard vision to more than 70 companies in the technology, telecommunications and financial industries, including American Express, JPMorgan Chase and Nokia.

 

The MTA has drafted a 140-page roadmap giving the most detailed glimpse to date of how the post-MetroCard world might look for the 7.4 million daily subway and bus riders.

 

Bus riders will still be able to plunk coins into fareboxes, but little else will remain the same.

 

Riders will no longer swipe a MetroCard's magnetic strip through a turnstile reader or dip it into a bus farebox. Instead, they will place or tap their "contactless" credit or debit card in front of a sensor.

 

Customers will be able to choose to pay as they go, with an amount deducted or charged by their financial institution, just like shopping with plastic at a store. Or they can pay in advance, buying a number of trips or a week or month of unlimited trips. Instead of having a separate MetroCard, the information would be electronically linked to the rider's debit or credit card.

 

Straphangers who don't have those cards, or don't want to use them for mass transit, could buy an MTA Card, which would also work with a tap. The card would be sold at station vending machines, token booths or stores."

 

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/05/08/2011-05-08_metrocards_may_join_tokens_mta_eyes_hightech_replacement_system.html

[Via Garibaldi 8]

This should be great. Now I can just use my American Express card on the express bus and not have to schleep to the damn subway just to get Metrocards. The one thing that isn't clear is if the Express Bus Plus card could be bought for a month at a time becuase we currently can only get them weekly, so I get two at a time. ;( It is also great when you forget your Metrocard at home. No more having to walk back to house to get it. :cool:

 

However, 3 or 4 years is still way too slow to implement this. :mad:

[Eric B]

First heard about this with the Smart Cards, with the readers installed at a few places a few years ago (Like 59th & Lex).

So it looks now like it won't be just a smart card. Good. Wonder how long it will take to replace our passes with these).

 

Can't wait, as the magnetic system is a nuisance with its being prone to dirt or whatever, and can easily be erased. Not only so it will be quicker for me to get in, but also, people having problems swiping in at places like Marcy, and I wonder if I should buzz the conductor to wait for them.

[sovetskii52]

I hope the MTA will still provide weekly and monthly deals like the 7-day unlimited and 30-day unlimited metrocard. I save so much money with those cards.

[peacemak3r]

So it's something like Chase's blink feature? It would definitely be more convienant for me, haha.

[overclocked]

There are no dates or specific details, this is just a proposal, so I don't see a reason to talk about this until it becomes more or less real.

Besides there are bigger issues at the moment that need to be dealt with.

[lilbluefoxie]

Those paypass cards are easy for identity thieves to steal information off of.

[Princelex]

I don't really like the idea of using my credit card to use as a way to go through a turnstile. I'd rather use that card to buy a "tap card" like what they have with PATH instead, but that's just me.

 

I'm glad that they are looking to get with the 21st Century with a tap card cause after going to L.A. a couple of years ago and using their tap cards, I really saw that the MetroCard is outdated. It's good news, I just hope that it happens really soon.

[Grand Concourse]

I agree^

 

Those paypass cards are easy for identity thieves to steal information off of.

 

I agree, they can use scanners and swipe your info just by standing next to you. I don't trust them. As imperfect as the current MC is, I feel safer with that.

[Vistausss]

Would be time they did something like that. Hopefully NYC does this better than here in The Netherlands, 'cause here those paypass/smart cards are a total failure. So I really hope the makes it awesome

[chrisliz09]

I agree^

 

 

 

I agree, they can use scanners and swipe your info just by standing next to you. I don't trust them. As imperfect as the current MC is, I feel safer with that.

thats not true this system is working just fine in other states like boston mass they have the trolley card and its the way the MTA wants too do it, i havent heard any problems there at all.

[Nexis4Jersey]

I don't really like the idea of using my credit card to use as a way to go through a turnstile. I'd rather use that card to buy a "tap card" like what they have with PATH instead, but that's just me.

 

I'm glad that they are looking to get with the 21st Century with a tap card cause after going to L.A. a couple of years ago and using their tap cards, I really saw that the MetroCard is outdated. It's good news, I just hope that it happens really soon.

 

Theres about 60 cities around the world that use them , Hong Kong was the first city , Boston was the first large scale system in North American to use them. Septa will be the first system to use them on all modes including regional Rail.

[Vistausss]

@Nexis: Not to bother you, but The Netherlands is the first country to use these cards all over the place, not Septa. We can use these cards all over the place, no matter what company travels us. So that includes bus, train, tram etc. In 2007 it came and since 2010 we can use it everywhere. So Septa doesn't get the credit, except for being the first system in North America to use it all over their territorry. But not the first in the world.

 

NYC is the newest addtion to this and I really hope they do better than here.

[Jashawn R.]

So, what will replace Student MetroCards? Would the DOE have a large account for all of it's students?

[7LineFan]

So, what will replace Student MetroCards? Would the DOE have a large account for all of it's students?

 

This would actually be an excellent opportunity to get rid of them completely as transit wanted to do previously... not like it matters for me since I go off the student metrocard system this June.

[mark1447]

Yeah student Metrocards are going byebye.. Time to have the students or parents pay up unless the DOB pays up.

 

This technology looks great, but Idk if this will stop fare beating the system. People can still get in the back of the bus or hop the turnstile(Unless replaced with something better like HEET, but even that doesn't stop anyone to fit in a single HEET entry).

 

For Credit or Debit card, I will not be interested in this, who knows if one of the turnstiles is hacked or something and I get my money stolen... I'm safe with a tap card.. Even though idk if they will be free or cost.

 

Hopefully people won't trash the tap cards, BUT reuse like they should be doing with the MC..

[IntExp]

This would actually be an excellent opportunity for getting rid of them completely as transit wanted to do previously... not like it matters for me since I go off the student metrocard system this June.

 

What about those who dont get off the system this June, and won't do so for at least 3-4 years? It will almost certainly matter for them.

[Nova RTS 9147]

So, what will replace Student MetroCards? Would the DOE have a large account for all of it's students?

 

I'd imagine that would involve something with the "MTA Card"

[mark1447]

What about those who dont get off the system this June, and won't do so for at least 3-4 years? It will almost certainly matter for them.

 

The last year said that this is the last year of funding Student Metrocards..

[IntExp]

Looks like i better get a job soon to help pay to go to school, seeing that I live in Corona and go to school in downtown Manhattan...boy, this is going tough on me.

[chrisliz09]

 

The last year said that this is the last year of funding Student Metrocards..

that would save them millions of dollars, most of them money comes from the MTA and the MTA the city and state where suppose too put in together and for over 10 years that has not happened.

[Rell]

The last year said that this is the last year of funding Student Metrocards..

 

But then it got protested. I, among many others, would not be happy with the loss of them. But I'm well aware that it's not the (MTA)'s fault. The city/state is really supposed to be more involved then they are.

[Grand Concourse]

And that's why the issue should be more a DOE thing. If the DOE wants to differ responsibilities of transporting the kids to school [even though kids should be going to schools closer to home, imo - unless they apply for a specific school], then they should pay the MTA to move them.

[MainStreetBound7]

This would never work, what about students, what if you need a single ride, what if you need a metrocard from someone like a parent and they're somewhere else.

[7LineFan]

What about those who dont get off the system this June, and won't do so for at least 3-4 years? It will almost certainly matter for them.

 

I'm not saying that I would approve of getting rid of student cards. I'm just saying objectively that this would be the perfect time to eliminate them, as they introduce a new fare collecting system. However, they could introduce student cards with the RFID technology. Unlikely given that they want to eliminate the cards.

 

This would never work, what about students, what if you need a single ride, what if you need a metrocard from someone like a parent and they're somewhere else.

 

Students: see above.

Single rides: maybe a paper ticket with a single use barcode. However, this would require barcode scanners as well as the RFID technology for regular cards.

Needing a metrocard from someone else but they're somewhere else: you would still be screwed with the current metrocards so this makes no sense.