What happens when a "bus bridge" is used?

[nostalgia]

This weekend, service runs as far north as 96th Street. There's a bus bridge between 96th and 149th Street-Grand Concourse. Suppose you live in the Bronx and you took a bus to the White Plains Road line. [The is substituting for the .] You used your free transfer to get on the subway. At 149th, you get off, exit the system, get on a bus that takes you to 96th Street, and get back on the subway to continue your trip.

 

Do you have to swipe your Metrocard at 96th? You already used your free transfer to get on the subway. Will you be charged another fare.

 

In a different scenario, suppose you took a bus to the train. Announcements on the train at 59th-Lex are walk one block and transfer to the using your Metrocard. You already used your free transfer to get on the . Are you charged another fare to get on the .

[S78 via Hylan]

Usually during these G.O.'s, they will have MTA personnel handing out special "receipts" or tickets for passengers coming off shuttle buses and if they need to hop back on the subway, they just put the receipts in a box, otherwise they would have to pay the fare.

 

As for the to the , if you used your free transfer, then yes, you will be charged another fare. Now if you wanted to save yourself $2.50, you could take the to Bleecker St/B'way-Lafayette and transfer to the there.

[Jsunflyguy]

Of course with unlimiteds this is a moot point for the regulars so handing out tickets isn't that clumsy anymore.

[Snowblock]

Does anyone actually use the 63 St to 59 St transfer? It takes so long that I find it's easier to just use the to transfer to/from the instead of walking the 4 blocks and never-ending escalators.

[engineerboy6561]

I haven't used it for that purpose, but I have used it when I needed to make a stopover on a trip up from Brooklyn; get on the train in Brooklyn, get off at Columbus Circle to make a quick purchase, walk over to the at 59 St.

[QM1to6Ave]

Does anyone actually use the 63 St to 59 St transfer? It takes so long that I find it's easier to just use the to transfer to/from the instead of walking the 4 blocks and never-ending escalators.

I use it on occasion because I'm in good shape and like the exercise. Anyone over 40 would have to be masochist to do that transfer. 

[Missabassie]

 

I haven't used it for that purpose, but I have used it when I needed to make a stopover on a trip up from Brooklyn; get on the train in Brooklyn, get off at Columbus Circle to make a quick purchase, walk over to the at 59 St.

....and here I thought I was the only one who knew about that....

[FriedChikkin]

At 149th, you get off, exit the system, get on a bus that takes you to 96th Street, and get back on the subway to continue your trip.

 

Do you have to swipe your Metrocard at 96th? You already used your free transfer to get on the subway. Will you be charged another fare.

 

In a different scenario, suppose you took a bus to the train. Announcements on the train at 59th-Lex are walk one block and transfer to the using your Metrocard. You already used your free transfer to get on the . Are you charged another fare to get on the .

 

1. You don't swipe at 96th Street because you were smart enough to get a transfer ticket from a Station Agent when leaving 149th GC allowing you free entry.

 

2. You used your transfer, I'd be sure you'll be charged again at 63rd St-Lexington.

[StevenFrancis]

This weekend, service runs as far north as 96th Street. There's a bus bridge between 96th and 149th Street-Grand Concourse. Suppose you live in the Bronx and you took a bus to the White Plains Road line. [The is substituting for the .] You used your free transfer to get on the subway. At 149th, you get off, exit the system, get on a bus that takes you to 96th Street, and get back on the subway to continue your trip.

 

Do you have to swipe your Metrocard at 96th? You already used your free transfer to get on the subway. Will you be charged another fare.

 

In a different scenario, suppose you took a bus to the train. Announcements on the train at 59th-Lex are walk one block and transfer to the using your Metrocard. You already used your free transfer to get on the . Are you charged another fare to get on the .

  

Usually during these G.O.'s, they will have MTA personnel handing out special "receipts" or tickets for passengers coming off shuttle buses and if they need to hop back on the subway, they just put the receipts in a box, otherwise they would have to pay the fare.

 

As for the to the , if you used your free transfer, then yes, you will be charged another fare. Now if you wanted to save yourself $2.50, you could take the to Bleecker St/B'way-Lafayette and transfer to the there.

Not a surprise to me that theres a catch because the announcements on the trains make it sound like you can get a transfer anytime between those stations

[nostalgia]

   Not a surprise to me that theres a catch because the announcements on the trains make it sound like you can get a transfer anytime between those stations

I agree. Using the same logic, they could announce on the , "next stop is 34th Street, Herald Square. Transfers are available to the , , , , , and Trains. Connection to PATH. Transfers available to the , , by walking one block to Penn Station and using your Metrocard. Transfers available to the , , and trains by walking two blocks to 8th Avenue and using your Metrocard. Oh. by the way. Transfer available to the by walking to Park Avenue and using your Metrocard.

[bobtehpanda]

Wait, does a transfer between Lex/63rd and Lex/59th use up the free transfer, or can you still transfer to a bus afterwards?

[nostalgia]

Wait, does a transfer between Lex/63rd and Lex/59th use up the free transfer, or can you still transfer to a bus afterwards?

Based on previous messages, on a pay-per-ride card, the transfer uses up the free transfer.

[AndrewJC]

I agree. Using the same logic, they could announce on the , "next stop is 34th Street, Herald Square. Transfers are available to the , , , , , and Trains. Connection to PATH. Transfers available to the , , by walking one block to Penn Station and using your Metrocard. Transfers available to the , , and trains by walking two blocks to 8th Avenue and using your Metrocard. Oh. by the way. Transfer available to the by walking to Park Avenue and using your Metrocard.

 

No, those aren't free transfers. You'll be charged a second fare when you swipe in at the second station, even if you haven't already used your free bus transfer yet.

 

Wait, does a transfer between Lex/63rd and Lex/59th use up the free transfer, or can you still transfer to a bus afterwards?

 

The out-of-system transfer comes in place of the bus transfer. Pick one or the other but not both.

[bobtehpanda]

The out-of-system transfer comes in place of the bus transfer. Pick one or the other but not both.

 

So if the out of system transfer comes in place of the bus transfer, why is the MTA afraid that people will abuse out-of-system transfers? You'd no longer have a free transfer anymore.

[Snowblock]

   Not a surprise to me that theres a catch because the announcements on the trains make it sound like you can get a transfer anytime between those stations

Yeah well how about those 'transfer is available to the m34 select bus service" announcement? Those things need to GO AWAY, because sure you CAN transfer to it (just like you can transfer to ANY bus), but announcing it specifically is giving up an impression that this is an in system transfer, and that you'd be able to take it to another line without paying an extra fare......

[Kamen Rider]

The metrocard OOS transfers are the end result of the MTA's old policy of maintaining transit connections lost through service changes. Prior the metrocard gold, you had the free transfers for the bus lines that replaced the closed el lines. This is why the B42 loops inside Canarsie station, because the TA feels that people are entiled to the replacement service to Canarsie peir

 

When the F left the 53rd street line in 2001, it left a gap in connections. namely, no connection between the F and the Lexington line save for the single direction transfer to the 6 that was finally rectified two years ago. The Court Square transfer gave passengers the option of the 7 to Manhattan in place of back tracking at a later point, more so on the weekends and at night, when the QB locals don't run.

 

This is why they've been resistant to allowing the OOS transfer between the G and the J,M and Z.

[AndrewJC]

So if the out of system transfer comes in place of the bus transfer, why is the MTA afraid that people will abuse out-of-system transfers? You'd no longer have a free transfer anymore.

 

Who said anything about abuse?

 

The concern is a simple one of revenue loss. Since the MetroCard system has no way of distinguishing an actual transfer from a stopover, anybody taking a trip to the proposed transfer point and then getting back on the train would get a free entry, probably without even realizing it.

 

(Most subway rides don't have attached bus rides.)

 

The Court Square transfer gave passengers the option of the 7 to Manhattan in place of back tracking at a later point, more so on the weekends and at night, when the QB locals don't run.

 

The free transfer to the 7 was intended to compensate for the loss of the direct transfer at Queens Plaza to the R.

[bobtehpanda]

Who said anything about abuse?

 

The abuse reason was listed as one of the responses to that whole Riders Alliance campaign to add OOS transfers to the G at Fulton/Atlantic and Broadway/Hewes. I didn't really get the response at the time, but now it's clearer.

[AndrewJC]

The abuse reason was listed as one of the responses to that whole Riders Alliance campaign to add OOS transfers to the G at Fulton/Atlantic and Broadway/Hewes. I didn't really get the response at the time, but now it's clearer.

 

http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/G_LineReview_7_10_13.pdf

 

Scroll down to page 9 of the PDF, for the full discussion of the proposed transfers. The word "abuse" doesn't even appear.