MetroCard

The MTA Is Raking In Serious Cash From Our Wastefulness

It's been almost exactly two months since the fare hike for our city's public transportation went into full effect. Overnight, straphangers' wallets were a little heavier, facing a permanent $2.50 per ride fee as well as bumped-up prices for weeklies and monthlies. And presumably, no one was happy. ... More >>

Wait, So What Happened With Bloomberg's Soda Ban? Welp...

Yesterday afternoon, we were seriously busy writing up a post entitled "The Basics To Today's Soda Ban" a la the one we wrote for the recent MetroCard hike. It was meant to be a symbolic post, an end to the drama revolving around this damn ban and a settlement on its intended enactment this fateful ... More >>

The Basics Of Sunday's MetroCard Fare Hike

On March 3rd, the MTA will seek budgetary revenge on straphangers. Sorry, it's happening. And we're being service-y because it's the only thing left to do before this fare hike takes effect on Sunday. So here's what you should keep in mind before you swipe your life away.

The Coming Fare Hike Aside, Your Pay-Per-Ride And Unlimited MetroCards Are Now The Same

In a week, your MetroCard will be a little more heavy on your wallet. That's right; March 1st is the day the fare hike passed a few months ago activates. On that day, single fares will permanently rise to $2.50, weeklies to $30 and monthlies to $112. Yes, you probably know all about this but here is ... More >>

Another Subway Death Solution: NYPD Tracking Of Mentally Ill?

Okay, the platform doors, laser alert system and the advice for conductors to slow down were one thing. But this goes a little above and beyond that. Yesterday, news came that the NYPD, in accordance with the Health Department, has tracked down twenty-five mentally ill patients that have been deeme ... More >>

At Emergency Subway Death Hearing, Transport Union Says MTA Too Cheap to Save Lives

Representatives from the city's Transport Workers Union say that the solutions to reducing subway deaths are simple, but the MTA doesn't want to spend the money. At yesterday's emergency hearing on subway deaths called by city councilman James Vacca, the MTA unveiled a large-scale public education ... More >>

Joe Lhota Gave Out A Few Raises Before Leaving; Who Said The MTA's Broke?

These stories aren't limited to Wall Street. In a Daily News exclusive yesterday, writer Pete Donohue learned that Mr. Joe Lhota, the MTA-chief-turned-mayoral-candidate, handed out a few raises and buyouts before he stepped out of office this past December, totaling about $253,000 in cold, hard, mu ... More >>

Bus Stop: Striking Bus Drivers to Lose Benefits Today

The City Council urged Mayor Bloomberg to postpone the negotiations of school bus driver contracts yesterday in a letter that called for "restoring much needed normalcy to the thousands of students and families affected by the strike." The stakes get higher for workers today as health insurance for ... More >>

The Fare-Hike Bounce? MTA Approves Fare-Hike, Lhota Resigns, Mulls Run for Mayor

Perhaps MTA Chairman Joe Lhota is looking for the old "fare-hike bump." The MTA voted to accept Lhota's fare-hike proposal this morning, and Lhota announced his resignation as chairman -- generating speculation that he will run for the Republican nomination in the 2013 New York City mayoral race. ... More >>

Nothing's Fun About The Proposed MetroCard Fare Hike, But You Already Know That

Every year or so, the story writes itself the same: The MTA needs more money to pay for the rising costs of Everything. Passengers get pissed. Proposals get thrown back and forth. Passengers get even more pissed. Fares go up. Passengers shrug, deal with it and move on.(The only curiosity in this who ... More >>

Did You Lose Money On Your MetroCard Because of Sandy? Well, Sorry...

On October 2nd, as a necessary measure for almost every Brooklynite, I bought a 30-day unlimited MetroCard for $104. On October 29th, Hurricane (Superstorm? Is that a thing now?) Sandy barreled through New York, crippling electricity, homes and, specifically in this case, the entire subway system. I ... More >>

Mass Transit Update: Here's What's (And What's Not) Running in New York City Today

It's Day Three of Sandy's aftermath and, needless to say, New York is still swamped with flooding, power outages, displaced residents and, most importantly for commuters, public transportation shutdowns. We are told that it will take a few days for the City to be up and running like her old, pr ... More >>

Your MTA Card Will Now Look Like a Mini-Billboard!

On January 25th, 1999, the first MetroCard vending machines were installed at subway stations across the five boroughs. Within a few months, the subway token was phased out of circulation as the simple swipe replaced the insert-coin-here system. We've had these shiny MetroCards ever since - whether ... More >>

Brooklyn is No Longer the "Budget-Savvy" Alternative to Manhattan

A few months back, we here at the Voice reported that Manhattan's rent was at its highest rate ever, clocking in somewhere around $3,418 a month, on average. Awed by this, I delved into the conundrum that is the Manhattan real estate: if you have to pay an arm and a liver to live on this island, why ... More >>

Millennial Music: A Look at How DIY Technology is Changing the Game Forever

Open. Click. Send. In a matter of seconds, Max Schieble's pre-recorded vocal track from America appears in the e-mail inbox of his bandmate Danny Lentz, who is currently abroad in Paris. Lentz receives the file, pulls out a violin and plays his part from memory. The file is sent back over to Schiebl ... More >>

Q&A: Meyhem Lauren On Hotel Life, Ralph Lauren, And Why The Wu-Tang Clan Is The Best Rap Group Of All Time

Room 426 at the Embassy Suites hotel in Texas might not be up there with the great rap recording studios, but for two days earlier this year it was transformed into an impromptu hip-hop spot by Meyhem Lauren. While he was there, the Queens resident and long-time Action Bronson associate cut a new mi ... More >>

Bike Share Program Hitting Streets in July; Mike Bloomberg May Actually Ride One...Once

The city will officially launch its bike share program in July -- and Mayor Bloomberg might actually give one a ride...at least once. But that's only so that if someone asks him how it is, he'll be able to respond. "I will certainly pay and ride one," the mayor told reporters this morning, standin ... More >>

Scott Stringer Tells the MTA to Listen Up On Demands of Elders and Disabled

Forget NYU2031; the Manhattan Borough President has another bone to pick. And this one involves public transportation, both above and underground.In an open letter to MTA Chairman and Executive Officer, Joseph L. Lhota, Stringer chastised the agency for its "emotional, physical and financial toll on ... More >>

Bail is Busted: How Jail Really Works

Thousands of New Yorkers are stuck behind bars because they're too broke to get out

Vandals Advocating Free Subway Rides Spawn Investigation; OWS To March Across Brooklyn Bridge; Pena Witness 'Disturbed'

Police are now looking for a group of vandals that worked Wednesday morning to let subway riders at thee stations across Manhattan and Brooklyn ride free. The group -- wearing masks, hoods and gloves -- chained open emergency gates, taped over the MetroCard readers and posted signs that read, "custo ... More >>

Children Of The Night Wave The New York Flag On Queens... Revisited

"I find myself walking to work and I can see the sun rise right over Queens Boulevard, and I say to myself, why hasn't Queens gotten a trophy in a very long time? I mean, I feel like we deserve to shine right now, don't we? We got a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful team and I can see us parading down ... More >>

Poetry in Motion: Verse Has Returned to New York's Subways

If reading books or papers on the train doesn't quite satisfy your lit fix, Runnin' Scared has some wonderful news! Shortly after launching a new arts in transit app, the MTA today announced the restoration of Poetry in Motion, which places poems alongside art in the transportation system. Poetry ... More >>

City Tackles Drunk Driving By Giving Away Debit Cards Today In Queens and Brooklyn

Free money! As part of its campaign against drunk driving, the city's Department of Transportation has launched a "Safe Rides Home" giveaway promotion with thousands of free taxi, livery, and public transit rides in honor of, what else, March Madness. It's a part of this slightly oddly-named init ... More >>

Occupy Wall Street Finance Report Reveals Money Woes; Press Team Unfazed In Statement

Yesterday, NY1 brought our attention to the news that New York's Occupy Wall Street appears to be tight on funds, findings based on on a weekly report for March 2 posted on the New York General Assembly's website. The Accounting Working Group report reads: "at our current rate of expenditure, we wil ... More >>

Art Is . . . The Permanent Revolution

Reggie Allen, 'MetroDunce,' Indicted on Weapons Charges

Reggie Allen is no criminal mastermind. Cops say that 34-year-old Allen brought two loaded firearms -- including a Tec-9 semi-automatic pistol and a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun -- into a crowded Times Square subway station on New Year's Day.

Enjoy Looking At Subway Rats? Play 'Rate My Rat'

Did you enjoy looking at that picture of the giant rat in the Bronx Foot Locker? Yes? First, ew, and second, we've got the perfect quest for you. As part of their "New Yorkers Deserve A Rat-Free Subway" campaign, the city's Transport Workers Union has started a "Rate My Rat" contest.

100 Most Powerless New Yorkers

A 'power list' for the rest of us

Potential School Bus Drivers' Strike 'Outrageous,' Bloomberg Says

​Mayor Bloomberg just held a press conference with NYC Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott and Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo to address a possible strike by the city's school bus drivers that would affect 152,000 kids. Bloomberg described the proposed strike as "just outrageous" and said ... More >>

Floating Art Project Accidentally Shipwrecks at Rikers

NYC.gov​A floating dome made of umbrella spokes and empty soda bottles, bound on canoes from the South Bronx to Inwood, where it would have stayed in a monthlong exhibit, was shipwrecked on Rikers Island this week, causing a commotion among corrections officers, who immediately confirmed that ... More >>

BEST OF NYC®
Globe-trotting on a MetroCard

Shop till you drop? No, you won’t drop. It’s all right here.

There Will Be a Boardwalk Empire Subway Train

​Today in historical things that are kind of cool: You'll see a 1920s (authentic, vintage) subway train running on the 2/3 track for all the weekends in September. The train was originally used for the IRT system, and began service in 1917. Now its rattan seats and Prohibition-era detailing (c ... More >>

MTA's New Financial Plan Shows Fare Increases in 2013, 2015

​The MTA Board met this morning to present and discuss its newest financial plan for 2012 through 2015, a plan still in its preliminary stages. To everyone's likely dismay, it projects fare increases, but also promises no service cuts based on the budget. "[The plan] presents at least a fragil ... More >>

MACHINES ARE OUR FRIENDS

So long as they don't turn into Hal

The Steal Walks Away With It

Rachel Shteir tracks the history of shoplifting

33 Reasons We Can't Help Loving Summer in the City

Even when it doesn't love us

The Innocence Project's Poster Child with a Past

They hailed Alan Newton's exoneration—without mentioning his other case of attempted rape

Free MetroCards; Gil Scott-Heron Dead at 62; Brooklyn Boy Mauled By Pit Bull

​Free MetroCards at Prospect Park and the Red Hook Park baseball fields today! Free shitty single rides, that is. Call me when someone will pay for my monthly unlimited. Oh, and a bunch of subway lines will be all messed up this weekend. [Gothamist] Spoken-word artist, poet, and musician Gil Scot ... More >>

1 in 5 Metrocard Swipes Don't Work

"Metrocard Swiping for Idiots" via MTA​If it seems like you're always trying, and failing, to swipe your Metrocard, you're not crazy or even necessarily just really bad at swiping your Metrocard. According to info released by the MTA as part of a document detailing the benefits of new payment ... More >>

Download: Cerebral Ballzy's MetroCard Tantrum "Insufficient Fare"

​Brooklyn hardcore revisionists Cerebral Ballzy channel the splattery, skate-friendly tantrums of the early-'80s California underground--think Circle Jerks or Rich Kids On LSD if they had to live with bad weather. Songs titles like "Sk8 All Day," "Cutting Class" and "Puke Song" speak for thems ... More >>

MTA Backs Down in Fight Against East Village Metrocard Artist

Some of the artist's work.​On Friday we wrote about East Village artist Victoria, or VH, McKenzie, who had been creating oil paintings on discarded Metrocards and selling them on Etsy for $48 apiece. An MTA marketing intern, part of whose job it is to seek out unauthorized use of the MTA trade ... More >>

MTA Goes After East Village Artist for Painting on Used Metrocards [Updated]

Some of the artist's work.​The big bad wolf is hungry. Or jealous? EV Grieve today alerted us to the matter of East Village artist VH McKenzie, who has been creating oil paintings on discarded Metrocards that she then sells on Etsy for $48 apiece. The MTA found out about this, and sent her the ... More >>

Bench Made of 5,000 MetroCards Looks Cool and Uncomfortable

via Co.Design​Where do MetroCards go when they die? Since there's no proof of MTA heaven (yet), we have to just assume they get tossed with the rest of the subway trash. How sad! Our little yellow friends that grant us access to all of the transportation New York has to offer are forgotten one ... More >>

A New CUNY Community College Is Opening in 2012

It will offer extra support to students—but with a catch

GAME THEORY

A CITY SCHOOL EXPLORES THE EDUCATIONAL POWER OF PLAYING—AND DESIGNING—GAMES

Antique Nipponware

A Family Affair