Metrosharing Goes Mainstream!

On the morning of April 6, just before I left town for vacation, I saw a piece in the "Metropolitan Diary" in The Times that made me smile:

Dear Diary:

On a recent weekend in New York, my husband and I were sharing a MetroCard. Rushing to catch a train at the Union Square subway station, we didn’t notice that the card was running out of money. My husband swiped the card successfully, passed through the turnstile, then handed it back to me, but the card was now worth $0.00.

As I dithered, trying to decide what to do next, a youth behind me reached around and swiped his card for me.

When I turned to thank him, he replied impatiently, “Just go!”

Mary Donaldson-Evans

Now that I'm back home, I've been metrosharing almost daily (demand seems to be up).  Send metrosharing stories if you like and I will be happy to post them.

Chapter and Verse - Is Metrosharing Legal?

A reader has asked for "chapter and verse on the legality" of metrosharing.  In my initial research, I came across several secondary sources that noted that MetroCards are not non-transferrable.  I have carefully reviewed the NYC Transit Rules of Conduct  at mta.info/nyct/rules/rules.htm#payment and there is nothing to indicate that it is illegal to share an unlimited MetroCard, but I did come across this item in section 1050.4:  

"Fare media (aka metrocards) that have been ... improperly transferred or that have been used in a manner inconsistent with the rules shall be confiscated." (All italics in this post are mine.)

Which are the proper and which are the improper transfers?  What rules do they mean?  It turns out that there is another set of rules, called the  Premium TransitChek MetroCard Terms and Conditions, which apply to those who purchase their cards with employer-issued TransitCheks or payroll deductions (as so many public employees do), which expressly states that "Transfer of Benefits for use by other than the enrolled employee for its intended purpose is not permitted and may result in suspension of further benefits, disciplinary action, and other penalties." 

Had I not received my new TransitChek MetroCard in the mail this week, I might not have realized that there are different rules for unlimited cardholders who purchase cards through the TransitChek program.  It certainly wasn't clear from the MTA website.  My card came with a letter that referred to these rules without indicating where to find them!  It didn't require much effort to locate the rules (www.premiumenrollment.com/ptc2employee/faq/termsCondition.html), but if I wanted someone to follow my rules, I would print them on back of the letter.

But those are the rules: metrosharing is completely legal if you purchase your card at a machine, but not if you purchase your card with TransitChek or payroll deductions. 

Now, we get to the important question of whether it is wrong to share even if it is a violation of the Premium TransitChek MetroCard Terms and Conditions.  I am considering this question myself and am eager to hear what my readers think about this.  The alternative, if I conclude that it is unethical to metroshare with a card purchased with TransitChek, is to buy my cards the old-fashioned way (at the machines).  In the end, it won't cost much more, since I pay for my MetroCard year round, even when I am out of the City for weeks at a time.  (Of course, I've always used my vacations as opportunities to metroshare with a neighbor!)

This blog is a public space; it belongs to all of us and I look forward to hearing from you.

 

METROSHARE UNLIMITED

Tonight, I am launching the Metroshare Unlimited Campaign.  Here's what I'm going to say at the MTA's public hearing about proposed fare hikes and service cuts:

A fare hike is the wrong move in hard times.  

Raising fares is a regressive measure, hitting low-income New Yorkers the hardest when they can least afford an increase of this necessary expense.  The impact on teens and young adults will be terrible, as they find themselves confined to their neighborhoods except when traveling to and from paid employment.

Today, I'm here to address unlimited MetroCard riders.  It's time to share a valued resource that we've paid for.  I'm urging unlimited card-holders to identify themselves on the way OUT of a turnstile.  Say "I metroshare" or "you can ask me."  And then swipe someone into the turnstile as you exit.  If you swipe someone IN on your way OUT, you help someone save a few dollars.  In the past, the MTA has encouraged riders to share unlimited MetroCards with other family members.  I'm asking everyone to consider other New Yorkers as part of your family and to share a ride.

Of course, it's always illegal to sell a swipe.  But the MetroCard is NOT non-transferable, which means that sharing a swipe is completely legal and does not violate the MTA's Conditions of Use.

On July 16, 2008, the New York Times published what they called "The MetroCard Bell Curve" to report the finding that the average user of an unlimited monthly MetroCard takes 56 rides, bringing the cost of a ride down to about $1.45.  That average included less than 1800 riders who take 100 trips a month AND over 10,000 riders who aren't really getting their money's worth from their monthly passes.  When the price of a monthly pass goes to $105, the MTA is going to find that these 10,000+ riders will trade the convenience of a monthly card for the 15% savings on $20 cards, and revenues will sink rather than rise.

Metrosharing, or swiping someone IN on your way OUT, is a way to get your money's worth and to help each other.  New York City fare-sharers are going to change the culture of the subway and the city.

It's time for the MTA to think big about the role of public mass transit.  It is never a good time to discourage the use of mass transit, but falling gas prices make this a vulnerable time for our city. More traffic would choke the life from New York.  The wealth of this city is its people and our capacity to get to work and go to school.  It is the people who breathe life into our parks and museums, theaters, libraries, and stores.  We're not a great city if everyone stays home.  Don't raise the fare.