MTA to make cash ban permanent

[Lawrence St]

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-mta-subway-token-booths-cash-20210623-kd2e5yiegjcglgydvoaylib5gy-story.html

[B35 via Church]

Makes not a bit of difference to me whatsoever... I do not remember the last time I've even interacted with a token booth clerk/station agent....

[Lex]

All I want are the machines to take Benjamins and not be so stingy or inconsistent with the change.

[Gotham Bus Co.]

Why are they still called "token booths" after all these years of no tokens? 

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

Great, so if you're MetroCard is damaged for whatever reason (including those SBS machines), not only would you be out of a Metrocard, but you can't exchange it on the spot either. You would have to make time out of your day, or wait weeks to get the issue fixed. Which corporate douchebag(s) thought that this was an amazing idea. 

 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

12 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Makes not a bit of difference to me whatsoever... I do not remember the last time I've even interacted with a token booth clerk/station agent....

I had to once because all of the machines were down. That does happen from time to time where all of machines are down, so you either go to the booth and pay cash, or go to another station. I made the switch to OMNY and haven't looked back. I am hoping I continue to work from home until next year some time. If so I will only go to the office once or twice a week as I have been now when I need to check something and just pay as I go. I believe the OMNY passes should be in place later this year, and if so then I'll use that since you'll be able to refill remotely.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

11 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

Great, so if you're MetroCard is damaged for whatever reason (including those SBS machines), not only would you be out of a Metrocard, but you can't exchange it on the spot either. You would have to make time out of your day, or wait weeks to get the issue fixed. Which corporate douchebag(s) thought that this was an amazing idea. 

 

It will only get worse. This is a cost cutting measure. The local buses will stop taking coins eventually as well, this way they don't need to have man power to get the coins from the fareboxes, cutting jobs and saving money. Not having the token booth clerks for cash transactions means they can justify laying some of them off or having them do other things, but either way, you won't need as many of them. That's the next step. 

[LGA Link N Train]

I get they're the is trying to switch to OMNY and all, but lets say hypoteically an OMNY Card makes its debut. Something happens to the card and it gets Damaged. It'll basically circle back to this. 

21 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

Great, so if you're MetroCard is damaged for whatever reason (including those SBS machines), not only would you be out of a Metrocard, but you can't exchange it on the spot either. You would have to make time out of your day, or wait weeks to get the issue fixed. Which corporate douchebag(s) thought that this was an amazing idea. 

 

 

 

I understand that they're trying to cut costs and all, but this isn't the way to do it.

[B35 via Church]

23 hours ago, Gotham Bus Co. said:

Why are they still called "token booths" after all these years of no tokens? 

For the same reason that the cabs that run up & down Church av. around here (in my neck of the woods) have been called dollar cabs, while the fare hasn't literally been a dollar since the day of the flood.....

Connotation.

45 minutes ago, LaGuardia Link N Tra said:

I get they're the is trying to switch to OMNY and all, but lets say hypoteically an OMNY Card makes its debut. Something happens to the card and it gets Damaged. It'll basically circle back to this.

They've been (passively) trying to rid itself of token booth clerks 1 by 1 since the token got phased out...

11 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I had to once because all of the machines were down. That does happen from time to time where all of machines are down, so you either go to the booth and pay cash, or go to another station. I made the switch to OMNY and haven't looked back. I am hoping I continue to work from home until next year some time. If so I will only go to the office once or twice a week as I have been now when I need to check something and just pay as I go. I believe the OMNY passes should be in place later this year, and if so then I'll use that since you'll be able to refill remotely.

I guess because I've long had a habit of keeping multiple metrocards on me, that I don't have that problem (long story).... Yesterday when I made that post, I was honestly trying to recollect the last time I've physically walked up to a booth for anything metrocard related... Couldn't do it.

Only thing that remotely came to mind was when I walked up to the booth inside Penn Station, but that was for an LIRR ticket (because the god damn bums were blocking up all the machines at the "main" waiting area for the trains (as in, opposite the waiting room) that particular instance, one early Saturday morning)... That was sometime during the early 2010's....

I've noticed a few times here & there where all the machines were down, but my personal favorite is when people look befuddled as shit when at a MVM, they keep trying to chuck cash inside the thing, where the machine clearly states/shows "No Bills"....

* bit of a side note, but I was also trying to remember the last time I boarded a bus & paid in coins... Would make for a good Jeopardy question/answer.

Edited June 24, 2021 by B35 via Church

[Via Garibaldi 8]

32 minutes ago, B35 via Church said:

For the same reason that the cabs that run up & down Church av. around here (in my neck of the woods) have been called dollar cabs, while the fare hasn't literally been a dollar since the day of the flood.....

Connotation.

They've been (passively) trying to rid itself of token booth clerks 1 by 1 since the token got phased out...

I guess because I've long had a habit of keeping multiple metrocards on me, that I don't have that problem (long story).... Yesterday when I made that post, I was honestly trying to recollect the last time I've physically walked up to a booth for anything metrocard related... Couldn't do it.

Only thing that remotely came to mind was when I walked up to the booth inside Penn Station, but that was for an LIRR ticket (because the god damn bums were blocking up all the machines at the "main" waiting area for the trains (as in, opposite the waiting room) that particular instance, one early Saturday morning)... That was sometime during the early 2010's....

I've noticed a few times here & there where all the machines were down, but my personal favorite is when people look befuddled as shit when at a MVM, they keep trying to chuck cash inside the thing, where the machine clearly states/shows "No Bills"....

* bit of a side note, but I was also trying to remember the last time I boarded a bus & paid in coins... Would make for a good Jeopardy question/answer.

I think the last time I went to a token booth clerk had to be three years ago or so at Times Square.  Something was wrong with the machines, so I paid cash. Before that, it had been MANY years. What is becoming a rarity is using a Metrocard. I come to the office maybe twice a week and come to run errands once or twice a week on weekends, and always use OMNY. I much prefer paying as I go. I don't see myself using a pass unless I go back full-time to working in the office, which I don't expect until maybe September or perhaps even next year.

[Lawrence St]

MTA is backing off banning cash at the token booths for now. TWU made a big fuss about it.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

2 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

MTA is backing off banning cash at the token booths for now. TWU made a big fuss about it.

Wasn't just TWU. The public was pissed about it in general from a convenience standpoint, but this especially targets poor people the most, who tend to be unbanked and buy rides using cash. 

[paulrivera]

3 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

MTA is backing off banning cash at the token booths for now. TWU made a big fuss about it.

"The memo was made in error" -MTA statement in a few days, probably.

Just like when they wanted to get rid of wifi on the buses. (MTA got caught by the governor's office trying to nix a Cuomo pet project)

And the time they said they were removing benches to prevent the homeless from sleeping. (huge social media backlash)

[R10 2952]

On 6/23/2021 at 5:24 PM, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

Great, so if you're MetroCard is damaged for whatever reason (including those SBS machines), not only would you be out of a Metrocard, but you can't exchange it on the spot either. You would have to make time out of your day, or wait weeks to get the issue fixed. Which corporate douchebag(s) thought that this was an amazing idea. 

23 hours ago, paulrivera said:

"The memo was made in error" -MTA statement in a few days, probably.

Just like when they wanted to get rid of wifi on the buses. (MTA got caught by the governor's office trying to nix a Cuomo pet project)

And the time they said they were removing benches to prevent the homeless from sleeping. (huge social media backlash)

Honestly, I'm amazed the agency doesn't get sued more often than it already does.  For their leadership to be so out of touch with riders that they'd ignore something as basic as the possibility of MVMs being down or Metrocards malfunctioning, it really speaks volumes that most of their big-shots probably don't even take the subway at all.  Frankly, I'm surprised the Straphangers Campaign didn't tear them a new one over this plan.

 

[B35 via Church]

2 hours ago, R10 2952 said:

.....Frankly, I'm surprised the Straphangers Campaign didn't tear them a new one over this plan.

As an advocacy group, what NYC commuter even cares what they have to say anymore? Their claim to fame were those goofy pokey/schleppie "awards", and news12 (______), let alone news programs of major TV stations, only mentioned the past few years' "winners" of those awards in passing.... They're not all that relevant in the eyes & ears of the public & you can thank social media for it... Lol....

[bobtehpanda]

21 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

As an advocacy group, what NYC commuter even cares what they have to say anymore? Their claim to fame were those goofy pokey/schleppie "awards", and news12 (______), let alone news programs of major TV stations, only mentioned the past few years' "winners" of those awards in passing.... They're not all that relevant in the eyes & ears of the public & you can thank social media for it... Lol....

There was also the rise of competing organizations, like Transportation Alternatives and Riders Alliance.

Love them or hate them, you cannot deny that they put boots on the ground in the city and in Albany in a way that the Straphangers Campaign never really did at all.

[B35 via Church]

1 hour ago, bobtehpanda said:

There was also the rise of competing organizations, like Transportation Alternatives and Riders Alliance.

Love them or hate them, you cannot deny that they put boots on the ground in the city and in Albany in a way that the Straphangers Campaign never really did at all.

Yep, that's true too; they (RD) was/is no longer the only horse in town.

I don't follow any of these groups, but what I can say is that I generally hear more about the latter than the former, and both of those more than I do the Straphangers Campaign nowadays....

[SeanH525]

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-velazquez-mta-cash-booths-bill-20210629-4ow5to6s5nfuzc2tzabfsv5lje-story.html

[bobtehpanda]

This is a weird bill at the federal level, because most agencies do not staff all of their stations in general. Most light rail stations don't have any place for a manned booth to go in the first place.

I'm down with requiring accepting cash, but not with the booth requirement.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

1 hour ago, bobtehpanda said:

This is a weird bill at the federal level, because most agencies do not staff all of their stations in general. Most light rail stations don't have any place for a manned booth to go in the first place.

I'm down with requiring accepting cash, but not with the booth requirement.

Of course you're not down with it, living in Seattle. lol When is the last time you took a subway here to see what a mess it is down below? People getting stabbed at random, pushed off of the platform, etc. The more eyes around, the better.

[Lex]

2 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Of course you're not down with it, living in Seattle. lol When is the last time you took a subway here to see what a mess it is down below? People getting stabbed at random, pushed off of the platform, etc. The more eyes around, the better.

Said eyes are pretty much useless if they're confined to a booth, though.

If having more eyes in the system is better, then people staying away from the subway system because they're afraid of, say, getting robbed (instead of the unfavorable prospect of catching/transmitting communicable disease) is actually counterproductive.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

9 minutes ago, Lex said:

Said eyes are pretty much useless if they're confined to a booth, though.

If having more eyes in the system is better, then people staying away from the subway system because they're afraid of, say, getting robbed (instead of the unfavorable prospect of catching/transmitting communicable disease) is actually counterproductive.

A lot of the problems are by the turnstiles as well, so some presence is better than nothing. How many people have you saw on the news attacked on the mezzanine level with no one around? If the token booth clerk is nearby and sees what is happening, they can call for help. In any event, I fault a lot of what is going on due to the disbanding of the undercover cops. Back in the day, they would hang out by the entrances and even ride the trains. Never forget years ago I was taking a quick ride on the  train. We pull into the 72nd St. Undercover cop comes on the train and walked by me and spoke to me as he was checking the cars. I knew he was undercover because I could see that he was packing.

The cops today are just too handcuffed. If Adams, Garcia or Sliwa wins, perhaps we'll see a restoration of law and order. 

Edited July 4, 2021 by Via Garibaldi 8

[bobtehpanda]

13 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Of course you're not down with it, living in Seattle. lol When is the last time you took a subway here to see what a mess it is down below? People getting stabbed at random, pushed off of the platform, etc. The more eyes around, the better.

They really don't help at all.

In 2005, a woman was raped both in front of a booth attendant and a conductor, and they called MTA command who then called the police, and so ultimately police came and it was too late.

Edited July 5, 2021 by bobtehpanda

[Via Garibaldi 8]

6 hours ago, bobtehpanda said:

They really don't help at all.

In 2005, a woman was raped both in front of a booth attendant and a conductor, and they called MTA command who then called the police, and so ultimately police came and it was too late.

So we should get rid of them because of one incident. I think the majority of the riding public would beg to differ. It is one of the main reasons that the roads are packed with cars because people have stopped taking the subway. That's just the reality of it, and they won't come back until they feel as if the subways are safe again, esp. if they don't have to be in every day.

[bobtehpanda]

1 hour ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

So we should get rid of them because of one incident. I think the majority of the riding public would beg to differ. It is one of the main reasons that the roads are packed with cars because people have stopped taking the subway. That's just the reality of it, and they won't come back until they feel as if the subways are safe again, esp. if they don't have to be in every day.

No, if push comes to shove booth agents are literally supposed to stay inside and don't contact police directly even if something is happening within their line of sight. That's the actual policy, because booth workers are not actually police. What you want is actual police; why would you keep something around that is totally ineffective?

It's like getting a cardboard cutout of a guard dog for your house instead of an actual guard dog.