POMAH

London fares huh?

"and you have to get out at the place you have paid for."

and if I dont, will I get the firing squad? I mean how do the bobby's know where one is supposed to get off?!

POMAH

The only thing causing confusion among the public is the $1 fee for new cards. I get $5 and get 0.25c added with each re-fill. Ifcourse, I could get $10 instead, but I am afraid the card might become unusable in time.

Old way was $10 - 7%.

In 5 years, the whole thing is changing to a tap system instead of swipe anyway.

5alive

[and if I dont, will I get the firing squad? I mean how do the bobby's know where one is supposed to get off?!]

As mentioned, BART and DC work roughly the same way as London. You put your ticket into the slot when you go to exit. When we first took BART, we did not put enough cash on the card. It would not release the gate and we had to go add money to our ticket before we could go out the gate and leave the station.

nytraveler

In London you have to put your ticket through the turnstile to exit. Assuming you have a single fare and have ridden too far then the ticket you have bought - then your're stuck - and have to pay extra. Or try to jump over or push through illegally.

This is the technology that they have to ensure that people are paying the required fares.

Not a crisis - but a PIA - especially for several people.

And in NYC the cops do arrest people for turnstile jumping - sometimes mature ladies in fur coats - as a form of protest - since they have found that targeting people for minor issues like this cuts donw on more seriuos crimes as well. (Not that all turnstile jumpers are serious criminals, but the latter are more likey to also committ smaller crimes.)

POMAH

"they have found that targeting people for minor issues like this cuts donw on more seriuos crimes"

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ah, my good man, I beg to differ.
The fine constables of the NYC fuzz dept. waste their time busting people for not paying fares, drinking, smoking, double parking, and other disorderly conduct while ignoring serious evil such as drug dealing, murder, rapes, robberies, oh, and drinking 16oz sodas.

HowardR

So, tell me, POMAH, if what you say is correct, how come NYC has, relatively speaking, a very low big-city crime rate! And, please, don't respond by saying that the police ignore the crimes and thus they aren't reported!

POMAH

Giuliani named his minor offenses busting "broken windows theory".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory

You cant let people (according to him) get away with low level/minor offenses as that'll make 'em move on and up to more serious bad doings. Fine.
But, I've never heard of a tourist from Italy who doesnt know you cant drink beer on the beach move on to bank robbery. And, yes, I do see tourists from Europe and South America ticketed all the time on Coney Island.
Meanwhile, above W.22st gang bangers deal drugs, defend "their" turf by shooting up the hood, pimp their ho's, etc.

Oh, and where the fuzz at? I know, they are all on Brighton Beach oggling the topless Russian ladies.

POMAH

Regarding paying only the fare as far as you go.
Ahem, how is one supposed to transfer to a bus after the subway then? Or, bus to bus? Or, bus to subway? Or one subway line to another?

The NYC single fare is good as you use the metro cards for 3 transfers in 2 hours. I take say B68, do my business, then F train to go home on a single fare. Or the A to Pier17, M5 to 42st.

nyer

POMAH you get unlimited subway "transfers" as long as you don't exit the system, but bus to bus, subway to bus, or bus to subway is limited to ONE free transfer within 2 or so hours. The examples you gave are all for one transfer not 3. When I have a pay-per-ride card and have used a third segment even within 2 hours it always charges me. And the Single ride ticket from a subway vending machine(for $2.75)says "Must be used within 2 hours; no transfers included."

Does your card do something special?