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Luke90210 t1_jcn8j8q wrote

This ignores the modern free transfers from subway to buses and buses to subway. The 2 fare zone mattered if you had to pay it. Also I don't have to pay $1 for a MetroCard with an expiration date if I use a credit card.

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dust1990 OP t1_jcn9bu7 wrote

The $1 metrocard fee amortized over many months is negligible. The free transfer to bus is interesting as you now get more value with the base fare. But most people don’t use the transfer and you essentially have to buy it.

I’m going to factor in in a subsequent post the pay-per-ride bonus which should make the curve from 1998 to today even flatter.

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Luke90210 t1_jcn9w3a wrote

Personally I don't care about the $1 fee for the card. Its finding out at the worst possible time the card is expired. And the MTA is hoping people will just throw it away instead of transferring the value to a new card.

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damnatio_memoriae t1_jcntq55 wrote

can you even transfer it to a new card anymore? i haven't needed to in a while but someone told me they couldn't do it not too long ago. but they might have been trying to combine multiple cards.

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RyuNoKami t1_jcnz2cp wrote

if its expired within one year, you can just do that in the machine.

past that, you gonna have to send it in.

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curiiouscat t1_jcnjtgd wrote

When I was young and broke I would do so many creative things with the free transfer lol. Most subway lines have a comparable bus line so I'd take the 1 to the grocery store and then the M104 back, for instance. That way I'd only pay one fare. I had a bunch of poor friends do this as well. I still try to take advantage if I end a doctor's appointment early or something by taking the alternative form of transit since you have 2h30m. It's good fun and can really work in your favor.

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dust1990 OP t1_jcnk0u2 wrote

I’ve admittedly done this as well!

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damnatio_memoriae t1_jcntxx8 wrote

lol i still do the subway/bus transfer trick. been doing that for over 20 years.

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Postalsock t1_jcniboj wrote

You remember the return tickets, I think it was 25 cents more than the normal fare but instead of spending 3 dollars to go and back you just spend $1.75 to go back on the same bus route going back. And then the transfer ticket which didn't cost extra but allowed you to switch to a different bus

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