Res 0278-2018

By Council Member Menchaca Whereas, The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) offers two primary types of MetroCards that allow customers to pay subway and bus fares: Pay-Per-Ride and Unlimited; and Whereas, Customers can add any amount between $5.50 and $80 to their Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard, with a 5 percent "bonus" added to the value of the card with each transaction; and Whereas, The bonus results in one free fare for every 20 full fare rides; and Whereas, Though the bonus is advantageous for customers, as MetroCards are used and their value is depleted, it can result in MetroCards with balances of less than a full $2.75 fare; and Whereas, Visitors who are leaving the city and people who start using other forms of transportation can be left with MetroCards that have value but are unusable without refilling them; and Whereas, Similarly, households may accumulate multiple MetroCards with varying "unusable" balances; and Whereas, For the sake of convenience and ease-of-use for its customers, the MTA should devise a system in which customers are not left with "unusable" balances on their MetroCards while maintaining the principle of a free fare for every 20 full fares; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to alter its policies so that customers never end up with a MetroCard with less than a full fare in value. JM LS# 2094/Res. 409-2014 LS# 981 1/3/2018