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''Metrocard Gold 1997-Present'' The MetroCard is the current payment method for the New York City Subway ( Rapid Transit ) system as well as for Buses in the New York City Transit , Long Island Bus , PATH systems, and on Westchester County 's Bee-Line Bus System in Fall 2006. It is a thin, plastic card on which the customer electronically loads Fare s. It was introduced to enhance the technology of the transit system and reduce and eventually eliminate the burden of carrying and collecting Token s. The MTA discontinued the use of tokens on the subway in May 2003 and on Bus es on December 31, 2003. The MetroCard is handled by a division of the MTA known as MetroCard Operations and manufactured by the Cubic Corporation. In addition, the ''Metrocard'' (note capitalization) is used as a stored ride fare card on several municipal bus operators in technology, the LA County Metrocard will be replaced by the TAP Card in 2007 . HISTORY
TECHNOLOGY Each MetroCard Stored Value Card is assigned a unique, permanent ten-digit Serial Number when it is manufactured. The value of a card is stored Magnetically on the card itself, while the card's transaction history is held centrally in the Automated Fare Collection (AFC) Database . When a card is purchased and fares are loaded onto it, the MetroCard Vending Machine or station agent stores the amount of the purchase onto the card and updates the database, identifying the card by its serial number. Whenever the card is swiped at a turnstile, the value of the card is read, the new value is written, and the central database is updated with the new transaction. The AFC Database is necessary to maintain transaction records to track a card if needed. It has actually been used to acquit criminal suspects by placing them away from the Scene Of A Crime . The database also stores a Negative List, a list of MetroCards that have been invalidated for various reasons, and shares it with turnstiles in order to deny access to a revoked card. The older blue MetroCards were not capable of the many kinds of fare options that the gold ones currently offer. The format of the Magnetic Stripe used by the blue MetroCard offered very little other than the standard pay-per-swipe fare. Also, gold MetroCards allow groups of people (up to four) to ride together using a single (pay-per-swipe) MetroCard. The gold MetroCard keeps track of the number of swipes at a location in order to allow those same number of people to transfer at a subsequent location, if applicable. The MetroCard system was designed to ensure backward compatibility, which allowed a smooth transition from the blue format to gold. There are special kinds of MetroCards issued for students, . MetroCards for the disabled have exclusive rights to the special gates used for Wheelchair access in some stations. This eliminated the need for the token booth clerk to have to manually open the gate whenever a disabled person required entry. There is also a combination MetroCard/Metro-North monthly train pass issued to commuters who purchase their pass by mail - one side is the MetroCard, while the other is the Metro-North pass with a photo of the pass owner. The Long Island Rail Road also offers this to their customers, but without a photo on the pass. Several transfers on the subway system are free with a MetroCard (other than a single-ride card), and are advertised in schedules and signs. FARE INFORMATION SingleRide ticket MetroCards
Pay-per-ride MetroCards
Accepted at:
Unlimited ride MetroCards
Accepted at:
Student MetroCards
Accepted at:
PURCHASE OPTIONS Subway station booths These booths are located in most Subway Stations and are staffed by station agents. Every type of MetroCard can be purchased at a booth with the exception of the 1-Day Fun Pass and SingleRide ticket. These 2 types must be purchased at MetroCard vending machines. Only cash is accepted for a transaction, $50 bills are only accepted with a purchase of $30 or more, and $100 bills only with a $70 or greater purchase. MetroCard vending machines MetroCard Vending Machines (MVMs) are machines located in all subway stations. They were first introduced in January 1999 and can now be found in two models. Standard MVMs are large vending machines that accept cash, Credit Cards , and ATM or Debit Cards in order to purchase a MetroCard for use on a subway or bus. They return up to $6 in coin change for every cash transaction. There are also much smaller versions of these machines that only accept credit and ATM/debit cards. Both machines allow a customer to purchase every type of MetroCard through a Touch Screen hierarchical menu although the smaller machines do not sell SingleRide tickets. After payment, the MetroCard is dispensed, along with an optional paper transaction receipt. The MVM can also add fares to a used MetroCard. They are compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act Of 1990 through use of Braille and a Headset jack. Audible commands for each menu item are provided once a headset is connected and the proper sequence is keyed through the keypad. All non-visual commands are then entered via the keypad instead of the Touch Screen . MetroCard Vending Machines run on Windows NT Version 4.0 SP6. The look and feel of the software as well as the exterior bezels were designed by Masamichi Udagawa. Masamichi was an employee of the design firm IDEO . He soon left IDEO and started his own company called Antenna Design, an industrial design company based in Manhattan. The rest of the machine's construction and design were performed by Cubic Transportation Systems. MetroCard bus and van There is one MetroCard Van and two MetroCard Buses that travel throughout New York City , making stops at scheduled locations. MetroCards can be purchased or refilled directly from these vehicles. Schedules are available on the MTA website. Neighborhood MetroCard merchants As well as at subway stations, the MetroCard can be purchased at any participating vendor. This includes hundreds of stores across New York City that sell sealed, pre-paid MetroCards for face value. A comprehensive listing can be found on the MTA website. Purchase by mail Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road riders who opt to purchase a monthly rail pass through the mail (a useful option for people who commute daily on a continuous basis) receive a pass that is a MetroCard on the reverse side. The purchaser can opt to load the MetroCard side with any value supported by the system. Holiday Rates In 2005, the MTA offered half fare discounts to riders on Weekends , the last week of 2005 and New Year's Day , 2006 . This means that Straphanger s were able to ride the Subway for $1 instead of the regular $2 fare provided that they used the Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard. The discounts did not apply to the Single Ride ticket or the Unlimited MetroCards. THE FUTURE OF THE METROCARD In 2006 New York City's two main transportation systems announced plans to introduce Smart Cards for paying fares. In Februrary the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey unveiled a $73 million smart card system in the PATH station at the World Trade Center. The Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) "SmartLink" card contains an antenna attached to a computer chip, which can be read by turnstiles without requiring passengers to swipe cards. The "SmartLink" card will eventually replace the magnetic-strip QuickCard accepted at PATH turnstiles. As of March 31 , 2006 ; Metrocard Vending Machines have replaced PATH QuickCard machines at PATH stations The New York City subway and bus network will eventually use this same technology. A consortium of New York metropolitan transit agencies, including the Port Authority and New Jersey Transit, will test different versions and introduce a single standard. In the future all New York City area transit systems will use the same "contactless" payment system. FRAUD AND SCAMS The MetroCard system is succeptable to various types of frauds, perpetrated by clever Con Artist s, who have figured out how to get the turnstyle to release without charging a fare {Link without Title} . A typical con involves deliberately jamming a MetroCard vending machine in a station, and then waiting for somebody to come in and try to buy a new card just as a train is approaching. As the innocent customer discovers that the machine is broken, the con artist offers to swipe the Mark through the turnstyle on their own card in return for $2 (the same as the regular fare). If the mark accepts, the con artist swipes their altered card, and lets the mark go through the turnstyle. The mark comes out even (they lost $2 but got a ride out of it), the con artist makes $2, and the MTA is stiffed a fare (plus the cost of fixing the damaged vending machine). This scam is often run by a team of 2 or more people, with one person working the turnstyle and the others acting as lookouts. There are reports of people making $200-$300/day running this scam. A report from New York State Senator Martin J. Golden [http://senatorgolden.com/press_archive_story.asp?id=9707 claims this scam is costing the MTA $260,000/year, and some con artists are making up to $800/day executing it. EXTERNAL LINKS |