While a number of other U.S. cities’ mass transit systems have already moved beyond plastic swipe cards and now use fobs or other smart keys, New York City with more than 450 subway stops, nearly 250 miles of track, and around 600 buses, has not made that next-gen leap. But now the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will finally begin to phase out the use of MetroCards over the coming years. [More]
MTA
New York City Bans Hoverboards On Buses, Trains
By 1.27.16
If you live in New York City and plan to ride the subway or hop on a city bus, you better leave your “hoverboard” at home. The state’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Wednesday that it is banning the self-balancing scooters from public transportation over fire safety concerns. [More]
NYC Officials Would Like To Remind Everyone To Please Refrain From Peeing On The Subway Platform
By 3.3.15
While there are some things one might hope wouldn’t need spelling out, if you want to get your message across, you’ve got to be clear. That’s why New York City’s transit officials felt the need to spell it out for patrons of the subway system, with a sign asking people to please not pee on the platform. [More]
Computer Glitch Informs Frustrated NYC Commuters They Don’t Have Enough Money To Ride
By 12.2.14
Whether you live in New York City and take public transit or are a straphanging commuter in another city, you know the ultimate frustration of swiping your card during the morning rush and having the system inform you that you’ve got “Insufficient Fare” and need to go add money. The screams of rage were even louder yesterday morning when a computer glitch messed with 10,000 commuters who otherwise thought they had plenty of money to ride. [More]
NYC Officials Decide It’s Finally Time To Shame People For Sitting With Their Legs Spread Apart On The Subway
By 11.18.14
The last time I checked, the average person is not six feet wide, and thus doesn’t need anywhere near that amount of room to sit on any given surface. And yet, there are those who have been ticking off their fellow riders since the dawn of time by having the audacity to spread their legs as far to the side as possible, thus either preventing others from sitting or making the people on either side uncomfortable at the level of touching. Finally, New York City’s authorities are spreading the message that enough is enough. [More]
The Pros & Cons Of These Helpful-But-Illegal Subway Signs
By 2.11.14
If you’ve ever been a regular user of mass transit, you quickly come to learn exactly where to stand when waiting for a train, subway, trolley, tram, monorail, etc., so that you can get off in just the right spot to swiftly exit the station, or make your transfer. Nowhere is this more true in the U.S. than New York City, where some commuters guard the secrets of the subway like treasured family heirlooms. That’s why a new effort to share this sort of information with everyone is both helpful and problematic. [More]
Next Stop, [Company Name Here]?: MTA May Sell NYC Subway Station Naming Rights
By 7.22.13
While I always dreamed of hearing the automated voice on the New York City subway trains announcing “Next stop: MBQ Station,” it appears I’ll have to wait a bit longer and save some more pennies: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is considering selling off naming rights for some subway stations as a way to rake in some cash, but individuals won’t be getting in on the naming fun. [More]
Survey: NYC Subway Riders Can Actually Hear Announcements Instead Of “Grrblt, Shknamzbffft”
By 10.4.12
Anyone who’s ever found themselves speeding past their stop on New York’s subway system after a train has just unexpectedly gone express knows how infuriating it is to try and decipher conductors’ announcements. “Flllrtlelt brebrtltelt, gershafawq West 4th Sturble ka burble. Shlomf.” But finally, those garbled announcements are getting better, according to a new survey released today. [More]
Guy Wins Race Against NYC Bus On Big Wheel
By 4.7.11
If you’ve ever ridden the bus in New York City, you know it is a damn slow experience. But, unlike a taxi, it’s a couple of bucks, and unlike a subway, it’s above-ground. So people put up with it. But exactly how slow is an MTA bus? Mark Malkoff decided to test it out and he videotaped himself racing a bus, down 42nd st from 10th to Madison ave, on a child’s Big Wheel. Turns out the guy who makes the wheels on the bus go round and round, all through the town, has some catching up to do. [More]
NYC Transit Fares Increase As Service Continues To Decrease
By 10.7.10
Life in New York City has just gotten a little more expensive, as the MTA board has voted to increase fares on subways, buses and commuter trains for the third time in two years, all while cutting bus routes, train service and laying off thousands of employees. [More]
Next Stop, TV Ads Inside The Subway Car
By 9.22.10
Mark another “safe from motion-based commercial messages” area off the list. New York is trying out adding TV screens inside subway cars as a way to bolster flagging revenues. The first campaign is a “full body wrap” – what graffiti artists used to call “bombing” – on the 42nd street shuttle for TBS’s baseball playoff coverage. The (silent) monitors will show highlights from previous games. [More]
MTA Doesn't Understand Meaning Of The Word "Unlimited"
By 7.13.10
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has already redefined the term “customer service” as “screwing over customers by cutting service.” But now the MTA is tackling another item in the dictionary, attempting to put a limit on that which is supposedly “unlimited.” [More]
If You're Unhappy With Bus Service Cuts, Do Not Punch Bus Driver In Face
By 6.29.10
There are many ways for citizens to protest mass-transit service cuts — with these posters or this tee shirt, for example — but we’re pretty sure that high up on the list of “least effective ways to effect change” is “repeatedly punch some poor bus driver in the face while he’s driving.” [More]
New Yorkers Can Get A Late Note From The MTA
By 6.12.10
Remember those days of getting your friend with the really good handwriting to forge a note from your mom so you could avoid getting busted for being late to school? If you’re a New Yorker and take public transportation to work, the Metropolitan Transportation Administration is on board with a similar service. No, the agency won’t lie for you. But if you can’t make it to work on time because your train was delayed, the MTA now offers a web-based service that will get you a note to prove it to your boss. [More]
Pregnant? Asthmatic? Don't Like Rollercoasters? Stay Away From NYC Elevators And Escalators
By 5.19.08
Unless you’re willing to risk being stranded with 14 other passengers several stories underground in a cattle car elevator on a hot summer day, or plunging at extreme speeds down an escalator with a broken chain, you might want to steer clear of NYC’s subway system lifts. The New York Times has published the results of an extensive investigation that includes tales of daily breakdowns, comically undertrained mechanics, and about $1 billion spent over the past decade.
There Are Bed Bugs On The Subway Benches. Yes, Really.
By 5.14.08
Bedbugs are usually thought of as something that only hotel guests have to worry about, but apparently New Yorkers who like to sit on benches while they wait for the subway should be concerned about the bloodsuckers as well.
150 Minutes On Hold For Metrocard Replacement
By 11.30.07
Jessica writes:
I lost my 30 day unlimited MetroCard over the holiday weekend. Happily, a friend told me the MTA will replace it if it was purchased with a credit or debit card, which it was. However, since calling the handy replacement number on the MTA’s web site for THREE DAYS IN A ROW and holding anywhere from 100-150 minutes each time, I’m not so sure. Have other people in New York dealt with this? I understand the MTA is probably like your average DMV when it comes to efficiency, but this is just plain ridiculous. My lunch money is dwindling with each $2.00 trip to–and from–work.
