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If this were done on a wide scale it would create a systematic discount for the whole revenue base of the system, placing an even greater burden on the MTA and the riders paying their fair share.
You are over exaggerating. You also provide an example that revolves around a leisurely activity as opposed to what is basically a necessity for the majority of the people using the MTA monthly pass.
The vast majority of people are using their pass every weekday, and are pretty much expected to use it every weekday for work. When the MTA prices their monthly passes this is probably the expectation that they have in mind. Allowing my wife to use the pass if I fall sick for a day is not going to throw the MTA into financial burden.
Again, as long as it is not abused there really shouldn't be a problem, but then again, trusting people to not abuse..
The expectation is one rider, round trip, per weekday. I would assume the price is set with that expectation, so who it is shouldn't matter so long as that expectation holds.
There is no M or F on the monthly metrocard in NYC, instead it's a 10 or 15 minute blockout after a swipe. Of course you'll say that the MTA in NYC is a mess, but then when has it not ever been?
You are over exaggerating. <<snip>> Of course you'll say that the MTA in NYC is a mess, but then when has it not ever been?
Or, put more precisely, stealing a little is OK as long as it isn't too much and doesn't really hurt anybody. Go for it if that's your view, but I don't buy it. I stand by my remarks.
But why shouldn't the train pass function on the same logic as the parking permit? When I get a parking permit for the station I get to list multiple cars, the logic being that I am paying for the use of a parking spot for the 3 months and it is up to me which car I choose to put in it (and which person drives it). By the same logic, when I spend $240 to buy a monthly train pass, I am buying the use of a seat on the train for that month. I've already paid for the seat, so why don't I get to pick who gets to sit in it?
There's also the fact that the current M or F system is obviously very flawed. As LightningMcQueen pointed out, same-sex couples can share a pass, and I can (and have) share my pass with my male au pairs or male friends, but I can't share it with female friends, au pairs, or my wife. Where's the logic to that?
The M/F cuts down on ticket-sharing, especially among spouses. Sure, sometimes you will still get away with sharing with your spouse, but eventually a conductor will swipe the pass.
But as to the logic comparing it to a parking permit -- I see the difference. With the parking permit, you are buying the right to one parking spot. You can carpool, and many people can share that parking spot. You can list multiple cars on the parking permit. It's about the space -- And other than daily metered parking, it's the only way to get a parking space.
A monthly pass is meant for one frequent rider. If you are a less frequent rider, you buy a round-trip ticket, or a 10-trip ticket, among other options. The monthly pass is a discount for the frequent rider. It's not a set number of rides, it is not a definitive spot. When you do buy a definitive number of rides -- Like a 10-trip ticket, you can share that ticket. But the monthly discounted pass, is discounted because it is for use by one frequent traveler.
Yeah, I get that that is the MTA's logic--my point was "Why?" Why aren't you purchasing a seat on the train? The monthly pass only makes sense if you are riding the train on a regular basis--just as the purchase of a parking permit only makes sense if your using the parking spot on a regular basis. So why not make it the purchase of a seat and encourage more people to purchase the passes? The MTA is trying to encourage ridership, so limiting the pass to a single person only diminishes the impact--and limits the number of people who would purchase the passes. If the train pass followed the parking pass logic they would sell more passes, and they would still have loads of people for whom it would make financial sense to buy single tickets or 10-trips--just as you still have loads of people who choose to pay for daily parking.
If you only go to Manhattan a few days a week it is cheaper to buy 10-trip tickets. The least expensive way to do this is to buy them on-line. If you think you are going to use off-peak sometimes you can buy a 10-trip off-peak pass and simply pay the difference between off-peak and peak on the train the time when you need peak. (There is no surcharge). ***Sometimes you even get lucky and they don't control.
Goodness, I never knew my question would create such activity!
One more question for you all, and many thanks for your help in advance:
Is the 10-trip Pass 10 one-way trips, or 10 round trips? We looked into it and saw that if it's 10 one-way trips, there is no discount from buying an individual ticket every day. But if it's 10 round-trips, that's MUCH better.
It's 10 one-way trips. Each time you ride the conductor will punch out a ride from the ticket. If it doesn't save you money, it certainly saves you the time and hassle of buying a ticket each time, which at GCT can be a PITA.
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