Mar

Calculating the MTA’s new math

With the latest fare hike, the MTA whittled away the once-simply 20 percent pay-per-ride benefit to a 15 percent bonus. Gone are the days of getting two free rides for every $20 spent. Now, straphangers get three free rides for every $40, and that Ninth Grade algebra just became a lot more relevant than anyone ever expected it would. Enter the New York City MetroCard Calculator. With the press of a button, this new Website will do complicated MTA math for you. Never again wind up with odd amounts of money left on your pay-per-ride MetroCards. [MetroCardCalculator.com]

Categories : Asides, MetroCard

5 Responses to “Calculating the MTA’s new math”

Marsha says:

March 4, 2008 at 2:41 pm

Thanks, I need the MetroCard Calculator. 9th Grade algebra is lot farther away for me than it is for you.

ScottE says:

March 4, 2008 at 3:32 pm

I wonder why the machines don’t have pre-programmed buttons for these amounts. I checked out a machine at Bowling Green today, and there was a button for “Buy 3 rides – Get 1 free” which (shown in smaller print) is the $8.05 for $7 option… this isn’t quite honest, and I’m sure it’ll become an issue soon enough.

If you press the “Other MetroCard Values” button, it shows the “$10 (1.50 bonus), $20 (3.00 bonus), and $40 (6.00 bonus) amounts, the base values the same athey have been in in the past.

Since so many people pay by credit/debit card anyway these days, why not have preset options for $15.65 (2.35 bonus), $24.35 (3.65 bonus), etc. on there? It’s not like coins are an issue for non-cash-paying customers. It would probably save a lot of confusion.

Then again, a rider was quoted today in amNew York saying that he would probably just throw out his MetroCards with $1.50 left on them. Maybe the MTA is counting on people to do that so they can get more free money — but I like to think they are a little more honest than that!

Alon Levy says:

March 4, 2008 at 7:50 pm

Apparently, the New York Post had to contact a Columbia math professor to figure out how much you had to put on your MetroCard to get an even number of rides.

jim says:

March 4, 2008 at 8:48 pm

The site you linked to is actually a copycat site.

The original is http://www.metrocardbonuscalculator.com/

I found out about it from a NYT blog post:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes......s-updated/

LES says:

March 5, 2008 at 7:04 am

There is also another program at http://www.metrocardrefill.com.