OMNY is not yet all things for all people. The MTA acknowledged on Monday that it’s facing “struggles” in offering discounted subway and bus trips to riders with disabilities and seniors through its nascent contactless fare payment system. The agency last month activated the “One Metro New York” readers at 240 automatic gates throughout the […]
Metrocards
Posted inTransit
MTA Eyes Commuter Rails as Discount Subways Substitutes With Crowds Expected Back
The MTA is exploring ways to increase the number of passengers at commuter rail stations in Queens, Brooklyn and Bronx neighborhoods that lack easy access to the subway. MTA Chairman Patrick Foye recently said on the “Recalibrating Reality” podcast that the agency is “poised to have [the commuter railroads] do more” as part of a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
MetroCard Scammer’s Been Arrested 160 Times. Can He Turn His Life Around?
Charles Barry says his life of crime began in 1984 when he lost his job at a printing press and his partner’s public benefits were suddenly yanked. “The rent is due. There was no food in the house,” he recalled. “Welfare cut her off. I’m not working. What am I supposed to do?” He went […]
Posted inStaten Island
Staten Island Bus Riders Cry Foul on Fare-Evasion Crackdown
Some passengers who step onto Staten Island buses without a MetroCard or coins are finding a $100 summons in their hands — no-fare penalties that residents are calling no fair, in a borough with just three MetroCard vending machine locations. Enforcers, known as EAGLE teams, have been traveling two Staten Island bus routes, New York […]
Posted inTransit
No Fare: 1 in 5 Bus Riders Don’t Pay
The MTA is getting taken for a ride: New agency numbers show a spike in bus passengers who don’t pay the fare. More than one in five bus riders – close to 370,000 every day – skipped paying in the last three months of 2018, according to new figures that show the MTA lost about […]