Lawmaker rips new MetroCard surcharge as ‘unfair’ to northeast Queens

[mtattrain]

"The new “green” MetroCard surcharge is making one northeast Queens lawmaker red in the face.

 

Assemblyman Edward Braunstein blasted the MTA on Tuesday, saying the $1 surcharge to encourage riders to re-use the cards is unfair to bus riders in his district.

 

Many riders buy their MetroCards at Long Island Rail Road station vending machines where cards can’t be refilled, he said, forcing them to buy a new card.

 

“Their whole justification is the environment and I get that,” said Braunstein (D-Bayside). “But if you can’t refill the card, it’s just unfair.”

 

The surcharge has been on the table in Metropolitan Transportation Authority budget discussions since 2010. When the charge was announced in July 2011 as likely to go into effect in 2013, Braunstein wrote a letter to New York City Transit President Thomas Prendergast explaining that it placed an unfair burden on an area where there are no subway stations.

 

Prendergast wrote back that riders had the option of avoiding the surcharge if they bought the cards at off-site vendors or if they bought a combination commuter-railroad card."

 

[qjtransitmaster]

For those who don't know, the one day unlimited can only be used on the subway after 9:30 AM weekdays. There is no unlimited card that can be used on the buses. Also, there's a $1 surcharge if you use a paper farecard on each trip.

 

actually if you load metrorail pass on your smartrip then you use the same smartrip/charmcard on metrobus you get infinite uninterrupted bus transfers yes there is a bus pass for 7 day regional if needed. Even if you switch from metrorail to bus due to the rail pass on the smartrip it doesn't count as a transfer allowing you to continue using buses unlimited when you get off metrorail without paying another fare until 2 hour time expires. I know I just did it today it's very easy. I am only replying back to a post sorry to be off topic lets get back to queens unfairly getting smacked with refill fee.

[N4 Via Merrick Rd]

Well if the ()' /> is going to do this. i think we've that's enough and the Fares should not go up. i can estimate that more than 1mil MetroCards are sold each second or minute as i should say.

 

Heres what i Do buy MetroCards go to LIRR/MNR TVM buy a roundtrip childfare($1.50) w/ the 4.50 MetroCard(only sold at Gray or Blue machines) (also you can pick any station combo) its $6(1.50 R/T child+4.50 MetroCard) total you have a MetroCard.

 

Or go to Hempstead Transit Center and buy MetroCards there. Well yea the LIRR/MNR tickets machines should be refillable if its gonna sell MetroCards. Or put a MVM at key LIRR/MNR stations (such as Great Neck,Mineola,Lynbrook etc.) but then again IDK that the LIRR is gonna take responsibilty for MVMs

[N4 Via Merrick Rd]

IMO people are still gonna litter the cards even if the green fee is implemented if they are dumb enough to throw MetroCards away with alot funds on them(which happens) they are gonna be stupid to litter the cards away after they paid a $1 extra for a new card. Now I'm not saying that this green fee is supposed to reduce littered MetroCards by a full 100% , but I can still see people littering MetroCards after the green fee is put into place.

[aemoreira81]

I don't see it as a green fee as much as it is a fee to recoup the costs of having the vendor, Cubic Transportation, make these cards. However, I believe that the surcharge is long overdue. That said, the MTA should look to convert an additional bus to MetroCard Bus dutyr. (or 3 Nova RTSs, as the current TMC on MetroCard duty is 21 years old) and buy two additional MetroCard hi-cube vans based out of Queens Village and Eastchester Depots to serve eastern Queens, Nassau County, and Westchester Counties in addition to the ones currently based at Gleason, to allay their concerns. (The previous MetroCard vans lasted 15 years.)

 

The points aren't too invalid, however.

 

Another poster mentioned bringing back the FunPass---and I would tend to agree. Also, the TVMs should be reprogrammed to dispense plastic MetroCards at the same rates as MVMs...currently, they only dispense $20 cards.

[lilbluefoxie]

they need to discontinue the $20 card and remake it into something that works mathematically, the $20 denomination is a holdover from when the fare was $2 and you didnt then have extra money on the card.

[checkmatechamp13]

they need to discontinue the $20 card and remake it into something that works mathematically, the $20 denomination is a holdover from when the fare was $2 and you didnt then have extra money on the card.

 

 

They already have something like a $21.53 MetroCard or something like that (I forget the exact amount. Maybe it was $20.90 or something). I mean, as I've said before, some people do use the MetroCards on local & express buses, and you could always combine the MetroCards, so I don't see the need to eliminate any of those "even" amounts ($10, $20, etc)

[Amtrak7]

Remember...for every $1 of fare collected, 15 cents goes to fare collection expenses. Every bit helps. Maybe fees like this?

 

7 day card: $1

30 day card: no fee

New card, <$10: $2

New card, $10-$40: $1

New card, >$40: no fee

 

A bit confusing, but encourages larger purchases (good for MTA, interest $ and greater chance of unspent fares)

[Vistausss]

I'm completely for this surcharge in some ways, however I see the people who will really be affected being the tourists buying cards they might not know how to refill and will only be using for a few days.

 

 

Depends on where the tourists come from. There are more countries in the world that have the same smart card problems as mentioned in the OP so part of the tourists are already familiar with that.

[nostalgia]

They already have something like a $21.53 MetroCard or something like that (I forget the exact amount. Maybe it was $20.90 or something). I mean, as I've said before, some people do use the MetroCards on local & express buses, and you could always combine the MetroCards, so I don't see the need to eliminate any of those "even" amounts ($10, $20, etc)

 

 

The ()' /> offers a 7% bonus so you can buy a $10.70 card for $10 and a $21.40 card for $20. To get full rides, you have to add 55 cents to the $10.70 and $1.10 to the $21.40 cards

[Q10 Airport]

The MTA needs every bit of money, especially from all the Queens riders who will have no choice but to pay the surcharge. Every little bit helps.

[nostalgia]

IMO people are still gonna litter the cards even if the green fee is implemented if they are dumb enough to throw MetroCards away with alot funds on them(which happens) they are gonna be stupid to litter the cards away after they paid a $1 extra for a new card. Now I'm not saying that this green fee is supposed to reduce littered MetroCards by a full 100% , but I can still see people littering MetroCards after the green fee is put into place.

 

How does this fee impact single ride cards, which cost $2.50 instead of the actual fare of $2.25? Can single ride cards be refilled? (Don't know because I never buy one.)

[N4 Via Merrick Rd]

How does this fee impact single ride cards, which cost $2.50 instead of the actual fare of $2.25? Can single ride cards be refilled? (Don't know because I never buy one.)

 

I don't think it will apply to single-ride.

[lilbluefoxie]

They already have something like a $21.53 MetroCard or something like that (I forget the exact amount. Maybe it was $20.90 or something). I mean, as I've said before, some people do use the MetroCards on local & express buses, and you could always combine the MetroCards, so I don't see the need to eliminate any of those "even" amounts ($10, $20, etc)

 

 

not in the TVMs on the Island, they only offer $4.50 and $20, and on the island and in eastern queens you cant just combine metrocards so easily, which is the reason for this whole debate on card surcharges in the first place.

[qjtransitmaster]

 

 

not in the TVMs on the Island, they only offer $4.50 and $20, and on the island and in eastern queens you cant just combine metrocards so easily, which is the reason for this whole debate on card surcharges in the first place.

 

The $4.5& 20 metrocards are useless to frequent travellers and do not encourage bus to rail use

[Kamen Rider]

Its time the MTA stop finding extra ways to nickle and dime riders

 

 

the MTA will stop nickle and dimeing us the moment Mr. Braunstein and his fellow Albany Rats stop nickle and dimeing them.

 

If Braunstien is opposed to the idea, insead of bitiching to the muckrakers, how about he back more funding for the MTA, so stuff like this doesn't happen in the first place?

[Amtrak7]

I don't think it will apply to single-ride.

 

 

The 25 cent surcharge on single rides is to discourage their use, its basically their version of the green fee. I wonder why the two fees were not implemented at the same time.

[161 New York]

Metro-North also has TVMs that cannot be used to refills. I think both MNCR/LIRR TVMs should be allowed to refill. SIRTOA could also use MVMs as well. They just want people to go to retailers, go to select places where MVMs are located (outside the NYCS) and MetroCard Bus/truck, which are ether not accessible to some and/or not available all the times (MC Bus/Truck)

 

 

This is my idea. I think that the MTA should put MetroCard machines (MVM's) inside supermarkets - mainly the outer boroughs, particularly Staten Island. You see DVD rental stations, NYS Lottery ticket machines, Coinstar, why not Metrocard machines?

 

On Sundays you'll see a whole bunch of folks parking at Eltingville Transit Center to refill Metrocard machines, so I think it would be beneficial. Though I think the MTA should come out again with PSA's and signs reminding folks that Unlimited MetroCards are refillable and can store up to one refill.

true BUT those who use the system everyday and choose payperride are BEYOND STUPID cause they end up paying even more at end of the month anyway like $150 I did the math. sadly many ppl can't count. Day pass needs to return. This surcharge has so many easy loopholes I could care less

 

 

This aggravates me so much on the 161. I have used the local, 7:05am & 7:15am from PABT via Union City and everyday its the same people paying CASH, either $5 or $10 sometimes $20 !!! Some dude got pissed off because he couldn't pay with a $50. Buy a freaking PASS!!!! AND these buses can get FULL 62+ people, max 67, half paying CASH!!!!

[qjtransitmaster]

 

 

This is my idea. I think that the MTA should put MetroCard machines (MVM's) inside supermarkets - mainly the outer boroughs, particularly Staten Island. You see DVD rental stations, NYS Lottery ticket machines, Coinstar, why not Metrocard machines?

 

On Sundays you'll see a whole bunch of folks parking at Eltingville Transit Center to refill Metrocard machines, so I think it would be beneficial. Though I think the MTA should come out again with PSA's and signs reminding folks that Unlimited MetroCards are refillable and can store up to one refill.

 

 

This aggravates me so much on the 161. I have used the local, 7:05am & 7:15am from PABT via Union City and everyday its the same people paying CASH, either $5 or $10 sometimes $20 !!! Some dude got pissed off because he couldn't pay with a $50. Buy a freaking PASS!!!! AND these buses can get FULL 62+ people, max 67, half paying CASH!!!!

 

Their stupidity puts more money in NJT's pocket. NJT does not market their passes well.