PSA: New York subway/bus fare

[redbird]

Read addenda before buying

The MTA is raising fares as of March 2. If you usually use a 30-day unlimited Metrocard, it's worth buying your next card today or tomorrow, even if you won't need it until mid-March: they get your money a few days early, but five or six dollars less* of it. Similarly, I spent $20 on a new pay-per-ride card yesterday, and it will get me 12 rides; the same money next week would buy me 11.5. (They've also set this up to practically guarantee money left on expiring cards a year from now, with extra hassle for riders and staff.) The same logic applies to seven-day cards as to 30-day, though I suspect fewer of the people who use those have the extra cash handy. But if you use those because there are some weeks you ride a lot, and some very little, grab a couple.

Railroad passengers, your monthly fares are calendar months, so this won't work. (The ten-ride ticket might be worth buying in advance, if you use those regularly.)

*There are posters in stations now, about the fare increase, which say to go to the MTA website for more information. The MTA website will tell me about the current fares; it tells me the rules for using an unlimited card; it says nothing whatsoever about the fare increase unless you do a search, which brings up press releases from December boasting about having raised it less than they threatened. The current monthly fare is $76; I think the new is $81, but it might be $83.

ETA: cattitude informs me that the MTA says that unlimited-ride cards bought at the old rate must be started by March 10; it's not clear whether that means "no later than midnight on March 10" or "no later than midnight on March 9." Charming of them to publicize this even more poorly than the fare increase, and only at the last minute. (My current card expires March 8, so I won't be losing anything by this.)

Or at least, they may not work if started after March 10; it appears to depend on how many such cards are out there.

Unlimited-ride MetroCards purchased before Sunday will work for their fully allotted time periods - one, seven or 30 days.But those cards will first have to be swiped, starting the clock ticking, within a finite grace period. The MTA says the grace period will extend at least through March 10.

Comments

[daharyn.livejournal.com]

$81 for the monthly now, according to a memo I got at work.

Also, anyone who pays for their transit in pre-tax dollars (TransitChek and other benefit programs) will very likely see a slight increase in the amount deducted from their paychecks, beginning with their first March paydate.

[bugsybanana.livejournal.com]

I hope not; I specified a smaller amount to be deducted than the full cost of the 30-day monthly because I had dollar value left over from last year I want to use up. But that may be the way we contracted with the processing company, since we get a debit card with the value on it rather than vouchers or Metrocards.