All that yellow plastic you see scattered around the floor of your favorite subway station may look cheap and disposable.
But the MTA says it costs the agency $20 million a year to print and clean up those cards. So the MTA is now planning a $1 surcharge on MetroCards to help offset the cost.
The MTA insists regular riders will hang on to the cards they have, and refill them, instead of buying new cards and paying the fee.
That would lead to less waste, cleaner stations, and less overtime spent on the janitors who have to pick up the discarded cards.
“We support it,” said Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign. “The goal is to discourage people from flinging their MetroCards on the ground to create litter. It’s pretty easy to avoid the dollar.”
Of course, out-of-towners and others who’ve never owned a MetroCard would have to fork over the fee.
The question, of course, becomes — what happens to damaged, lost or stolen MetroCards?
The MTA promises no surcharge for riders who follow the usual instructions of replacing the card by mail. Even unlimited monthly cards, which as of now can’t be refilled, would be reconfigured in the future to allow for re-use.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” said Russianoff.
(Source: NBC New York)
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6 Responses
Why use cards at all? Use people’s drivers licenses or credit cards. Better yet use biometrics like iris scans, so all you need to do is look at turnstyle.
Thank you Shelly Silver for allowing this to happen.
Want to lose weight? VOte for Shelly Silver; your wallets will definitely feel lighter.
#1, if you so much as look the wrong way, the MTA will surcharge you
Why do metrocards have expiration dates? My money does not expire! This just forces people to buy new metrocards since the expired cards cannot be refilled.
What about the fact that regular pay per ride cards expire after a certain amount of time?
From mta.info:
If your Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard expires, you have two years from the expiration date to transfer any remaining money to a new card. Within the first year after expiration, bring your expired card to any subway station and ask the agent to make the transfer. After that time, the expired MetroCard must be sent to MetroCard customer claims. Ask the station agent for a postage-paid Business Reply Envelope.