I think that's unlikely, prior to the card system you needed to purchase a token and drop it in the slot in the turn style so they could still account for rider

I think that's unlikely, prior to the card system you needed to purchase a token and drop it in the slot in the turn style so they could still account for ridership. A more likely explanation is that Metro Cards simply made it a better deal since they now allowed you to transfer between the subway and bus on the same fare and they also offered riders unlimited 7 day and unlimited 30 day options. See: http://www.mta.info/news-subway-bus-new-york-city-transit-metrocard/2014/01/06/mtas-metrocard-turns-20 http://www.mta.info/news-subway-bus-new-york-city-transit-me...