MetroSharing Update; Analyzing the New Fares

I've been metrosharing more frequently these days and I can't help feeling that the combination of high unemployment and the imminent fare increase is making it easier to offer a swipe and easier for others to accept.  Although the fare increase does not take effect until June 28, the current fare, not to mention the coming hike, is pretty daunting, especially for people who aren't finding enough work.  

Look for people (usually young men) standing or leaning on a column near the turnstiles.  I sometimes get turned down, but not once has anyone seemed offended. The unemployment rate in New York City is at 8%, but much higher for certain groups (like young men!). I suspect the young men who routinely (and graciously, in every instance) accept my offer of a swipe, are not on the way to work.  This doesn't mean they don't work or don't want to work.

Remember that you can metroshare within the family as well as with the general public.  If your child has a school MetroCard (useless on weekends), s/he can use your unlimited on the weekend.  And it's completely legal for one member of the family to swipe in another in the morning and then use the same pass a little later to get to work (or college or the park, etc.). Walking a loved one to the nearest subway can be a great way to have someone all to yourself, even for just a few minutes.

Here's what's going to happen on June 28:

single ride will go from $2 to $2.25

(15% bonus on fare cards will be added to cards for $8 and above)

7-day unlimited will go from $25 to $27 

14-day unlimited will go from $47 to $51.50

30-day unlimited will go from $81 to $89

For one thing, the math is more complicated if you're trying to figure out the best deal for your budget and your riding habits.

Let's say you buy a $10 fare card, on which you get a $1.50 bonus.  You'll get 5 rides on that card, with $.25 left over.  If you refill it 8 times ($90 total expenditure, $103.50 total value with the bonus), you'll be paying just under $2 a ride ($1.96).  

When is an unlimited card a good value?

7-day: if you ride AT LEAST 14 times in the one-week

14-day: if you ride AT LEAST 27 times in the two-week period

30-day:  if you ride AT LEAST 46 times in the 30-day period

If you are buying an unlimited card, you get a lot more out of it if you metroshare.  Just pause and look around after you exit a turnstile.  Don't forget to smile.

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.

Is Metrosharing Legal? - Chapter 2

I was feeling really good today.  I've been collecting signatures on a petition created by the Campaign for New York's Future to ask NYS legislators to fund affordable subways, buses, and commuter rails so that we can avert the threatened service cuts and fare hikes.  The response has been amazing.  So when I got off the train at my home station, I really wanted to metroshare, but I didn't see anyone I could share with (it can be delicate to offer unasked-for help, which is why people keep bugging me -- rightly -- about the buttons we need to identify ourselves as metrosharers).  I did see an MTA employee, so I decided to follow up the legality question, which has been on my mind.

So I asked, "Is it legal for someone with an unlimited MetroCard to swipe in 

another rider?"

"No," he said.  "You can get a ticket for that."

"Really?" I asked.  "I looked at the Conditions of Use and I didn't see any rule 

against it.  How are people supposed to know the rules?"

He backtracked and said that it was okay for family members to use the same unlimited card. He also pointed out that if one person paid another's fare with an unlimited card, the MTA would lose money. I pointed out that that consequence would not make it illegal if the rule wasn't in the Conditions of Use.  At that point, he told me to go online to the MTA website.  So I came home and tried again to find clarity on the rules.

Having already read the Conditions of Use, I decided to plow through the 190 (yes, really!) FAQs on the MTA website.  The rule is now as clear as mud, as illustrated by the MTA's responses to two of these 190 questions (after a long sit at my computer, I concluded that none of the others apply).

Question #39 - Can I pay for others with MetroCard?

Answer: With Pay-Per-Ride Metrocard you can pay for up to four people at one time and all four can transfer together free.  Unlimited Ride MetroCard cannot be used to pay for others' fares.

Had I not proceeded to #43, I would have retracted my earlier post assuring unlimited cardholders (who are not covered by Premium TransitChek rules - see post from 2/21) that they are acting within the rules.  But question #43 (How do I know which MetroCard is right for me?) directs readers to a page called "Comparing Unlimited and Pay-Per-Ride (Regular) Metrocards." On the chart under the Unlimited Card, it says "Can only be used by one person at a time."

Well, yes.  Only one person can use an unlimited card at one time.  But what if I use it and then you use it 18 minutes later?  What if you're family? What if you're my neighbor? What if we are meeting for the first time in fleeting communion at the turnstile?

So I have submitted a query to the MTA to get to the bottom of this.  And you, dear readers, will be the first to know what I find out.