Here's another good reason why farebeaters are running out of excuses for topping off their MetroCards: starting February 1, you will now be able to refill your 7- and 30-day MetroCards! WIth that innovation out of the way, does this mean we're one step closer to subway chin rests? more ›

The cost of jumping a turnstile could soon be much higher. Yesterday the State Senate passed a bill which would allow the MTA to raise the current maximum fine for farebeaters from $100 to $500 and the penalty for not paying from $50 to $100. Suddenly an unlimited Metrocard looks affordable? more ›

A Brooklyn man is turning a tiny portion of the $52 million in unused MetroCards into cash. In a business model akin to the OTB truffle-sniffers of yore, 41-year-old John Jones finds discarded MetroCards on the ground in various subway stations, combines the fares onto new cards, and resells them at a discount, and estimates that he's made around $20,000 over the years. "I'm surprised that people just toss money away," Jones tells the Post. This past holiday season, he found $1,500 worth of unused fares, and was able to sell half of it. No machine-tampering necessary! more ›

On Monday we choked back tears reporting on the arrest of a genuine entrepreneur who was helping tourists in Lower Manhattan. 52-year-old Darrelle Lawrence allegedly stuffed the MetroCard machines in the Cortland Street R station with cardboard and offered to swipe straphangers in for the low low price of $2 cash. As always, no good deed goes unpunished, and Lawrence was charged with petit larceny, theft of services and criminal trespass. Now the Daily News reports that Lawrence has received a 60-day jail sentence. No word on when Warren Buffett will commence his hunger strike in protest. more ›

For those who enjoy tinkering with data, the Wall Street Journal has created an interactive chart using the MTA's numbers on the city's MetroCard usage by the areas closest to subway stops. You can compare whether people use 30-day unlimited cards, pay per-rides or senior discount cards, and look at which type of fare increased or decreased after December's fare hike (data on student card usage was released too late for the chart). Then look at the demographic data in the neighborhoods of each stop and generalize away! more ›

Pro Tip: if you're going to haul your pot stash AND a loaded gun around with you while you're traversing the city, you should probably go ahead and invest in a Metrocard. Turnstile freeloader Tyrell Thomas was nabbed in a Brooklyn subway station yesterday evening with those two items on him. Could the turnstile have had some "unexplainable" affect that blocked the oxygen to his brain? more ›

The MTA has revealed that a turnstile at Columbus Circle subway station is the most frequently used one in the whole city this year, and just reading about it makes us want to lather the Purell all over ourselves. Exactly 1,402,766 people have swiped their MetroCards and pushed their lumpy bodies through the turnstile as of Aug. 19. Of course, that doesn't count all the people who either duck under or jump over turnstiles, but there's just something extra compelling about this particular one, according to commuter Latavia Gale: "I don't know what it is. It's weird. It's unexplainable. Even if someone's in front of you and their MetroCard's not working, you just queue up and wait." more ›

During his speech this morning, Mayor Bloomberg warned that mass transit may not be back online by Monday morning. Officials have decided to shut down the MTA starting at noon today because of the imminent arrival of Hurricane Irene. And although it may not be the first thing on your mind right now, it's important to note that despite the MTA being shutdown, you won't be getting any of that back on your unlimited Metrocards. more ›

With little doubt the Select Bus Services (SBS) on First and Second Avenues in Manhattan and the Bx12 route in the Bronx are a real success for the MTA. But it does have its problems. Like, when the receipt printing machine on the street is out of paper and you get a $100 summons for riding the bus without a ticket even though you own an unlimited MetroCard. Which, yeah, happens. Worse, there doesn't seem to be anything you can do in that situation. more ›

Remember when the MTA approved a $1 surcharge for each new MetroCard you buy? It's baaaaaacccck. Later today the MTA will unveil its 2012 budget and though it reportedly doesn't include fare hikes or service cuts (hallelujah!) it does include the return of that rascally surcharge. more ›

In an exclusive report, the Daily News reveals that four out of five MetroCard swipes slide through without incident, opening the turnstile to subterranean paradise with the greatest of ease. But of course the MTA's achievements don't sell papers, so the tabloid spins the data to emphasize the system's shortcomings, running with the headline "Swipe and gripe! MTA admits 1 in 5 tries with MetroCard bound to fail at turnstiles." But given the MTA's track record of, ahem, challenges, we think a 20 percent failure rate is pretty impressive! more ›

The MTA needs money. But apparently, the state Legislature is trying to keep them from getting that money. A new bill would commendably require that the MTA provide free MetroCards for the city's public school students, but also would require 25 percent off MetroCards for college kids, and free MetroCards for senior citizens, off-duty fire marshals, off-duty police officers and retired cops. It also wouldn't require the city or state to chip in, leaving the MTA to fend for itself. And while an extra $52 million a year could probably help, they're apparently losing that to lost and unused MetroCards. more ›

Did you buy an unlimited MetroCard before the last fare hike and hold off on activating it so as to game the system? Nice try, pal. All 30-day Unlimited MetroCards purchased before the hike are set to expire tonight at 11:59 p.m.. Because you knew that the MTA wasn't going to let you keep one extra penny of your money if they could help it. Sigh. more ›

Wasn't your post-Blizzard commute great this morning? OK, so it's not like the MTA could have done anything about a massive, city-wrecking snowstorm, but we're sure you're not itching to reward them for those 32 hours underground with even more money. Too bad. The new MTA fare hikes will go into effect on Thursday, featuring the $104 monthly MetroCard and $1 MetroCard surcharge to go into effect sometime in 2011. more ›

Good news everybody! Currently if you have a defective unlimited Metrocard and wanted a new one (the nerve!) you have to go and find a token booth clerk, get a preaddressed, postage-paid envelope and a form from them, and mail it all to the MTA for a replacement or refund. If the clerks even have the forms (they mostly don't). But that system is almost behind us. more ›

Most of us still call them "token booths," so it's not too surprising that the workers inside can't help much with the newfangled MetroCards. Reporters for the Daily News approached three different token booth sseeking help with a defective MetroCard, and each time found MTA employees unable to help. Three's a trend! The tabloid also spoke with an unidentified Manhattan man who says he went to "six to 10 different booths" when a MetroCard he bought for his daughter failed. And not one of the clerks inside those booths could help in, or even offer a preaddressed, postage-paid envelope to mail in a request for a replacement MetroCard or refund. more ›

There's sad news in the land of MetroCards, and we're not just referring to the bitter fare hikes coming your way. Former engineer Raymond DeKozan, died last week at the age of 74. DeKozan, an electrical engineer who founded Cubic Transportation Systems, and lived in NYC in the early '90s, is credited with inventing the MetroCard. You know, that small yellow piece of laminated paper that will soon cost you $104 per month. more ›

A tipster sent Streetsblog and Second Avenue Sagas a file showing the results of an MTA demographics survey. The information is usually kept secret so the MTA can focus on policy-making without any interference from the meddlesome public, but what these blogs received suggests the Authority wasn't lying when they said the Unlimited MetroCard could be eliminated without affecting many commuters. more ›

As predicted, the dreaded subway fare hikes were approved by the MTA board this morning. The carnage unfolded without surprises: The 30-day unlimited-ride MetroCard will increase from $89 to $104, the weekly unlimited card will go up to $29, and the MetroCard cash bonus will decreasing from 15 to 7 percent. In addition, there will be a $1 surcharge on customers buying a new MetroCard, and the Fun Pass and 14-day Unlimited will be phased out. more ›

It's not entirely fair to blame the MTA board members for the fare hikes they're expected to vote in this morning; they're bound by the failures of our representatives in Albany, who've cut $143 million in dedicated transit funds in 2010. The MTA faces an $800 million dollar budget shortfall, and today's vote comes in the wake of the biggest service cuts in a generation. Now it's all but confirmed that the monthly unlimited MetroCard will go up to $104—a 17% jump—which means you'll have to swipe your card at least 50 times a month for it to be a better deal than the pay-per-ride card. more ›

After an uproar, the MTA seems to be backing away from a proposal to do away with the unlimited MetroCard. Next week the board will vote on a cocktail of fare hikes, but it's looking like a cap on unlimited cards won't be in the mix. MTA Chairman & CEO Jay Walder tells NY1, "There wasn't a lot of enthusiasm for the idea of a capped pass. I think that message has been heard loud and clear. I expect you'll see that in what comes forward to the board." But there's bad news for drivers who don't use EZ-Pass. more ›

Swiping is so over. Or it will be, at least for elites with good credit, or basic checking, or one of those fancy "smart phones." Back in June the MTA kicked off a pilot program which gives participating commuters access to select subway, PATH, NJ Transit, and MTA buses with just a tap of their MasterCards. Now Visa has come on board, and the company is testing out "contactless payments" with smartphones. more ›

MTA chief Jay Walder is hinting that the price of a monthly unlimited MetroCard will go up to $104. Officials say they've been considering two options when it comes to unlimited cards: raising the cost to $104 for a monthly or $38 for 7 days, or putting a cap on the unlimited cards. (A monthly limited "unlimited" card would max out at 90 trips, and weekly limited "unlimited" cards would expire at 21 rides.) But speaking at a meeting of the New York Building Congress yesterday, Agency chief Jay Walder signaled that killing the unlimited was probably no longer an option. more ›

[Updated] A few of our readers have noticed MetroCard vending machines fare collectors* on the Upper East Side. Situated outside a Duane Reade on East 86th Street and First Avenue, the two MetroCard fare collectors, plus a coin fare collector, are part of the Select Bus Service for the M15. more ›