Yesterday, I was planning my next few months of Unlimited Ride MetroCard purchases. My 30-day monthly had expired, and I’m spending two weeks in August out of the city. So I figured I would be able to purchase a monthly for May 21-June 20 and a monthly for June 21-July 21. That handy time frame [...]

When the MTA introduced the new fare scheme and new 15 percent bonus system in March, the authority also revamped their prepackaged MetroCard program. Chief among the new pre-paid options were two pay-per-ride cards — one for the odd total of $17.39 and the other for the off-kilter sum of $52.17.
When a Racked reader [...]

Shortly before the MTA raised the fares last week, the agency announced a grace period of indeterminate length ending no early than today. With that early deadline upon us, the MTA has issued guidelines for all pre-fare hike MetroCards that savvy straphangers looking to save a few bucks purchased.
According to the release, the MTA, [...]

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 [...]

Back in the dark ages of the New York City subway, before the dawn of the MetroCard, fare hikes were momentous occasions around my house. My parents, who kept 10-packs of tokens in a Keds shoe box, were always prepared to beat the system when the MTA announced higher subway fares.
Unlike with MetroCards where [...]

Near, of course, being a relative term in MTA speak. Anyway, as I

Over at The Times’ Cityroom blog on Monday, Sewell Chan posted a diatribe on the design of the MetroCard. His thesis is that the MetroCard design is, in a word, terrible. The ubiquitous yellow cards with the familiar blue writing aren’t the most exciting of graphics in the subway world. Taking his cue from five [...]

The anti-fare hike forces aren’t going to like this one too much.
At the end of November, I started the 30-Day Unlimited MetroCard Challenge. My goal at the time was simple: I was going to track the number of times I swiped my 30-Day Unlimited to see how much I pay per ride. Could I [...]

With all of talk swirling about $2 base fares and Unlimited Ride MetroCard cost increases, I thought it would be fun to see just how much per ride I pay for my 30-day Unlimited Ride MetroCard each month. I take at least two rides a day during the work week as I commute to and [...]

Amidst all the hoopla surrounding the fare hike, the MTA is starting to make preparations that will lead to the phasing out of the MetroCard, a 13-year-old subway icon. Gone will be the familiar gold-and-blue flimsy plastic cards. In its stead, we’ll have touch-and-go SmartCard RFID technology that should speed up lines and make [...]