Registered: Apr 2002
Location: New York City
Posts: 234

MTA NYC Transit Thoughts

Hey Everyone,

Anyone from New York City?

Thought that I would voice my opinion here...I visit this forum so often so anyway here it goes.

When Metrocards came out I thought that they were the best thing in the world. Free transfers no paper slips anymore, no tokens to carry around. Until one Metrocard after another went bad. I have had in total 5 Metrocards go bad on me because of faulty but fare boxes or faulty turnstiles. I can still fall back on tokens right?? Wrong!!!

Tokens have recently stopped being sold and soon they will not be accepted in turnstiles at all. Minimum purchase for a Metrocard is 3 dollars. Fine. Tokens not being accepted...hmmmmm...what's going to happen to the token booth workers? Should they be called Metrocard booth workers? Their days are numbered. The MTA figured out how to phase out the token booth workers. With no tokens no token booth. Make way for Metrocard machines. Some machines aren't that big anymore either they look like a parking slip machine kind of bigger then a phone booth. I predict that these machines will replace most token booth workers. There has to be some one watching some stations. Shouldn't there be? I mean come on.

With that out of the way I feel better. Any thoughts??

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Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Sydney Australia
Posts: 1883

Don't know about the NYC system but the Paris metro uses cardboard cards with a magnetic strip and that works pretty good..
Here in Sydney the system works with something simular too...

So it can work!

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Registered: Jan 2000
Location: New York City
Posts: 158

It seems you touch on two issues here.

The technology does seems flawed. I would guess they selected the "swipe" technique in the subways so that there were less moving parts to break down. But of course that makes the interface so much more sensitive to failure. I just got back from D.C. and the system they use, same as in Tokyo, same as in many other systems I would guess, is an automated feeding system that controls the transaction and thus has a higher success rate.
But even if they wanted to change, it would be a horrendously expensive and time consuming proposition that could not be considered at any forseeable point.

The issue of reduced station security with the layoff of booth personnel is a major concern of New Yorkers. Although the clerk has no police powers and has to remain in the booth, their presence is assumed to be a deterrent to undesirable activity. And when the doomsday budget that our leaders are forcing on us (by refusing to raise revenue while paying for wars and and nation building and city rebuilding and corporate giveaways) comes down and New York goes through a more severe reduction in essential services than it ever saw in the dark ages of the 70's, we long term New Yorkers fear what those tunnels will play host to again.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: New York, New York
Posts: 560

I have never had a metro card go bad on me.

I did have one expire, but I stuck it in one of the vending machines and got a new one with $10 still on it. :-)

Once I saw them start putting up the vending machines, I new the booth ppl days were numbered. It already has started to happen, with some booths being closed permanately ot temp during the day.

I doudt the union will allow mass termination, but nothing prevent the MTA from not hiring new booth ppl if they don't want to.

Watch, the security the booth ppl provide will be replace by call boxes.

BTW, you can still buy token on the rosevelt tram I think.

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Felipe Garcia
Happy Treo 600 user, so far. Thanx Cingular for having an unlocked phone.

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Registered: Apr 2002
Location: New York City
Posts: 234

My issue is people being replaced by machines...

Hey,

This is my only issue...I think that if the MTA wants to replace their people with machines then they should bring down the fare. Not increase it as they are going to.

Also conductors are next to go. The new trains on the two and 4, 5 and 6 line can be used without conductors. Why do you think there is an automated voice? The motorman can control everything from the front car.

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Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Sydney Australia
Posts: 1883

Re: My issue is people being replaced by machines...

quote:

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Originally posted by visorprismman
Hey,

This is my only issue...I think that if the MTA wants to replace their people with machines then they should bring down the fare. Not increase it as they are going to.

Also conductors are next to go. The new trains on the two and 4, 5 and 6 line can be used without conductors. Why do you think there is an automated voice? The motorman can control everything from the front car.

---

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Registered: Jun 2002
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 6

I have had my Metro card go bad on me. It is a combo train/subway card and one day it got bent in my pocket and had a slight crease it in.

The card would not read anymore and they would not issue me a new one. So for about half a month, I had to go up to the booth and ask them to let me in through the special entrance. What a pain in the a__!

Registered: Apr 2002
Location: New York City
Posts: 234

No Motormen?

Hey,

I don't think that it would be possible for there not to be motor men in the city. It would make people not want to ride the trains. There has to be a human there.

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Cheers

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Sydney Australia
Posts: 1883

Re: No Motormen?

quote:

---

Originally posted by visorprismman
Hey,

I don't think that it would be possible for there not to be motor men in the city. It would make people not want to ride the trains. There has to be a human there.

---

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Do files get embarrassed when they get unzipped?

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: New York City
Posts: 158

Re: No Motormen?

quote:

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Originally posted by visorprismman
Hey,

I don't think that it would be possible for there not to be motor men in the city. It would make people not want to ride the trains. There has to be a human there.

---

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: New York, New York
Posts: 560

Re: Re: No Motormen?

quote:

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Originally posted by dennisl


And it's not going to happen overnight. They would have to convert all the turnstiles to the full body ones -- they are not actually going to trust New Yorkers to pay, are they? And they are going to have to accomodate wheelchairs, people with strollers, etc.

So we have time to fight this one.

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Felipe Garcia
Happy Treo 600 user, so far. Thanx Cingular for having an unlocked phone.

My Treo 600 is my phone, my PDA, my watch, and my MP3 player. Oh yeah, I take a picture once in a while with it. Convergence is such a great thing.

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: New York City
Posts: 158

That's what they'll do, I guess. Leave one clerk in each station with a video camera on the other entrances, to phone the police or open the gate.

But as was predicted here, this, and the other cuts in the city, will leave people more nervous to go down in the tunnels, and then the glorious period of subway resurgence will be killed by officials too stupid to pay attention to history.

Registered: May 2001
Location: NY metro area
Posts: 219

I've either lived in the City or the suburbs pretty much all of my life and can proudly say the last time I was on the subway the fare was $0.35. Used to be able to fall asleep straphanging and always woke up 1-2 stops before mine.

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Jonathan

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: New York City
Posts: 158

quote:

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Originally posted by jhappel
I've either lived in the City or the suburbs pretty much all of my life and can proudly say the last time I was on the subway the fare was $0.35.

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Registered: May 2001
Location: NY metro area
Posts: 219

quote:

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From dennisl: Why are you proud of this? Do you drive everywhere you go and crowd and pollute our streets?

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Chill dude! No, when I do go into the city I take the train in and then either walk or take the bus. Not everyone who doesn't take the subway pollutes.

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Jonathan

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: The Matrix
Posts: 718

Yeah they figure out how to cut down on their booth head count and how to hide the savings so they can raise our fares. Sheesh.

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