Last November, as the MTA started talking about a fare hike, I decided to see just how much I, a moderately heavy user of the subways, pay per ride. Thus was born the MetroCard Challenge.
For a month, I charted my swipes, and in the end, I found that I got a pretty good deal on the subway. I used my $76 30-day Unlimited Ride Card 74 times in one month for an average cost-per-ride of $1.03. That’s a steal.
Five days ago on Monday, with the MTA’s financial woes coming to the forefront, I bought an $81 30-day Unlimited Ride Card, and I plan to host the challenge again. So far in a little less than five days of usage, I’ve used the card 13 times for a cost-per-ride of $6.23. It’s dropping quickly.
To set the stage a little bit, I’m a New Yorker and a student. My transportation to Thanksgiving dinner involves talking the 2 or 3 from Grand Army Plaza, switching to the 4 at Nevins and disembarking on the Upper East Side. During the week, I’m a commuter student. So much like the 9-to-5 crowd, I take the subway to and from work — or in my case, school. With finals coming up, my social life will be a bit curtailed. Perhaps, this month is ideal as I’ll be approximating someone who works.
So let’s see how things end up. I know I’ll be paying well less than the best fare, and I’ll be tracking my expenditures in the side bar. Just how low my fare will be remains to be seen.
Update: I’m going to make this interactive this year. I’ve shared a spreadsheet on Google Docs for the world to use (until it gets vandalized). Add your own line and keep track of your MetroCard use throughout a month. Just remember to update it regularly or semi-regularly to watch your own cost-per-ride drop. For now, the cost-per-ride column will automatically update when you fill out the other fields.
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