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It's nearly a year later, but I feel compelled to reply to this post, especially in these post Hurricane Sandy days when so many people are forced to take new routes including the East River Ferry. What common sense would dictate is for there to be no need to get a receipt - what bus drivers and the machines incorrectly call a "ticket" - when you have purchased an unlimited card, with fares increasing more and more frequently, that has always served as a transfer (and proof of purchase) in the past, no extra step needed. What would make sense and what silly people probably think is actually the case would be for these machines to be a way of purchasing a metrocard right there at the bus stop. There is a concept. The SBS "ticket" requirement is counterintuitive and just another way for the city/state to make money off of a broken system. The MTA working on a pseudo honor system is what is "really that difficult" to understand.
THANK YOU!! In San Francisco, the Metro (Muni) card is plastic. Each BUS has an electronic reader at the front of the bus. People know to have their cards out and they simply touch them to the reader, it beeps, they go. Quick. It blew my mind that in supposedly transit-advanced NYC, the monthly metro card is paper. And you have to walk up to what has to be an expensive machine each and every ride and print out more paper that you have to hold onto for the entire ride (which is annoying). I rode the M34/A every day for a month in NYC. Not a fan...
THANK YOU!! In San Francisco, the Metro (Muni) card is plastic. Each BUS has an electronic reader at the front of the bus. People know to have their cards out and they simply touch them to the reader, it beeps, they go. Quick. It blew my mind that in supposedly transit-advanced NYC, the monthly metro card is paper. And you have to walk up to what has to be an expensive machine each and every ride and print out more paper that you have to hold onto for the entire ride (which is annoying). I rode the M34/A every day for a month in NYC. Not a fan...
Boston , Seattle , Toronto , DC , and LA have Smart cards like SF , along with Jersey City (PATH) & South Jersey (PATCO) , NJT is working on a system , along with Philly , Connecticut , Maryland should be up by 2017. NYC is still fighting over it and the current system doesn't really work..
I just can't wait to see peoples actions when it arrives on the B44. The Bx41, I doubt people will do such a thing since undoubtedly, they've had time to get used to the Bx12.
The MTA will soon take a great leap forward...they are introducing a system whereby customers buy brass, coinlike objects that they will will call TOKENS.
Each of these brass objects will entitle customers to a ride on a subway or bus.
They will cost $10 each...but a bulk discount rate of $9.99 each will apply if you buy a roll of 100 tokens.
(Additional State and City taxes will be charged on the purchase.)
Funny thread, I LOL'ed at a lot of the complaints - but there's some good suggestions on how to improve it too. A valid Unlimited Ride MC should absolutely be good enough proof of purchase.
I use the M15 SBS between Midtown and the Lower East Side all the time and I think it's an improvement over the local buses. Traffic makes it somewhat irrelevant at rush hour, but at all other times it's much faster - at least for that stretch. That's the only one I've ever taken. I'm all for people getting ridiculously expensive tickets if they don't have a receipt too... it's like a karmic tax on stupidity. I understand being confused the very first time you encounter the machines, but if you can't grasp/remember the concept subsequently, please see a doctor.
On the other hand, if you just HAVE to rebel against this tyrannical and poorly implemented system, what's to stop you from running away when the MTA inspectors ask you to produce a receipt? In this way, you are sticking it to the man and riding for free, and not holding up everyone's commute while they pull you out and write a ticket!
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