We have POP in New York as well, on Select Bus System in the Bronx. SBS as it exists today is a bit clunky – everybody, regardless of MetroCard type, has to get a paper receipt from a machine before boarding the bus. That’s time-consuming (think about a large crowd running off the subway as the bus is pulling up – even if they all get to the bus stop in time, some of them are going to miss the bus while they frantically line up to swipe their cards at the two machines) and not as green as it could be. In cities I’ve been to with contactless cards, the payment/validation process is a lot faster (sometimes the card validators are even on the bus itself), there’s no paper, and people with unlimited cards don’t have to do anything at all. The inspectors have portable card readers that can determine whether a card is properly validated for a given ride.

Of course, as long as SBS is restricted to one bus line in the entire city, that alone isn’t much of a motivation. But I wouldn’t mind seeing SBS-style fare payment extended to the rest of the city.

Personally, I think Chambers Street is absolutely beautiful. It’s filthy and in generally poor shape, but if it were fixed up and given a thorough cleaning job, I’d be thrilled. South Ferry is too, um, white for my taste. But that’s just me.

What is false is to complain that past generations didn’t “rack up hostpial/medical costs.” It’s not a generational thing – health care costs have been exploding for everyone. If you want to blame a union for it, blame the AMA, with its threats that any changes to the system will destroy freedom in America.

Contactless payment would be nice, but it’s not one of the higher “21st Century” improvements in my opinion. The MetroCard is modern enough, especially seeing you only need to swipe it once per ride. In London, due to variable fares, you need to “wave” your Oystercard on exit as well. Also, they use the honor system in some places (such as on the Docklands Railway, where cards are scanned and verified by random fare controlpeople on board.)

Arrival displays would bring a much greater benefit. Also, although this falls into the capital program, “21st Century” to me means elevators in every station (this might not happen in my lifetime) and stations that look more like South Ferry and less like Chambers Street (J,M,Z).

Both social security and pentions are creations of past generations who did not life long after retirement, NOR did they rack up hostpial/medical costs like they currently do today.

I am NOT waiting nor depending on social security and my pentions. I will take what they give me, but I am almost sure both syetms will be quite bankrupt by the time its my turn. This is why I am TOTALLY focused on creating my own retirement plan by starting my own business.

A safety net is fine and very helpful, but it is just that. A safety net, not a floor on which you can walk on.

MTA-wide, a little under 30% of operating expenses go to benefits. But that includes health insurance, not just pensions and other postemployment benefits.