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MTA Chairman Considers Cheaper, Off-Peak Fares

By DNAinfo Staff on October 22, 2009 6:09pm

The 57th Street subway platform.
The 57th Street subway platform.
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By Mariel S. Clark

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MANHATTAN — Cheaper off-peak rides on the subway and buses could be in the works for commuters if the new Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman has his way.

Jay Walder, who took over the MTA two weeks ago, said he would consider a new system that will discount rides on nights and weekends when fewer people are on board. The cheaper rides are part of an idea for new computerized cards that would deduct different amounts depending on the time of day.

“We might imagine that we offer discounts at later times, or we offer weekend discounts,” Walder told the New York Times. “Time-of-day pricing might be very attractive.”

The "smart cards" could become a reality in the next five years. A similar variable rate system and "no swipe" card are already in place on London's mass transit system, where Walder worked before coming to New York.

The cards could also act like a debit card by deducting rides straight from passengers' bank accounts, the New York Post reports.

The MTA raised the single ride rate 12.5 percent over the summer. A transit spokesperson told the Times that Walder is not considering raising the rate for travelling at peak times. The chairman also excluded the idea of charging more money for longer subway rides.

Walder hasn't officially devised a working plan for the new cards, but has said drastic MTA improvements are needed including camera enforcement of bus lanes and timers for when the next train will arrive.

Any change to the fare system would need to be approved by the MTA board.