4 ms·

$2.75 sounds really cheap to my British ears. How far can you go on that?

by jimnotgym 8y ago

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
chadlavi 8y ago
It's not a zoned system. $2.75 gets you in, then you go wherever you want within the system.
pseudolus 8y ago
The NYC system isn't composed of "zones" like the systems in such cities as London and Paris. Essentially, once you pay your $2.75 you're free to travel to any subway station in the system. There's also a bus system with limited transfers.
- _asummers 8y ago
  DC metro has zones, as an example of a US train system with it.
- kevin_thibedeau 8y ago
  Toronto and London have zones. I'd bet the farm that Byford does the same when the MetroCard replacement is fully deployed.
- scarejunba 8y ago
  No zones effectively on the Métro. There are zones in Paris but that’s if you want to go suburban and then you don’t take the Métro. You take RER.
andywaite 8y ago
Up to 31 miles: https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/10/nyregion/10atrain.html https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/10/nyregion/10atrain.html
- xxpor 8y ago
  You can transfer from the A to other services too, so you're not just limited to that.
rashkov 8y ago
It's a flat rate to get to any transit station in the city, no matter how far away. In NYC, the neighborhoods at the edge of the transportation network have historically been less wealthy, so this is a nice pro-economic mobility thing, and pretty unique among transportation networks. I expect people to say that this should change, but I think it's probably part of new york's secret sauce for economic success.
- sorisos 8y ago
  Same in Stockholm. There was zone based fees for some time.
zanny 8y ago
Public transit shouldn't be expensive. It shouldn't pretty much ever run outside the red. The whole point of it is to incentivize its use and promote efficient means of travel. The only reason to charge at all is to disincentivize unnecessary consumption of it. If you are doing city planning you want as many people on the Subway as you can get. It enables greater density at ground level and is much cheaper to maintain (if you maintain it) than overcongested road networks and the required parking.
- dluan 8y ago
  It's an odd and funny argument to make that your product is working well if it's always on fire or broken, which you would think an HN commenter like a sysadmin would understand. It just seems the margins for error get ever thinner as your system scales. Other systems have figured this out, like Tokyo where they change over a major-use track in one night. Meanwhile, MTA shuts down the L for 15 months.
- jimnotgym 8y ago
  But someone has to pay? Broadly speaking either 1) The businesses pay to get their human resources to work 2) The travellers pay or 3) Central taxation pays So who should pay in New York?
  - zanny 8y ago
    Obviously taxes. Those who benefit most from public transit are those least able to afford it, but making the cost baked in to the wealth of the people can driven even someone with a personal driver to maybe fathom using the tube instead once in a while if its borderline free.
    - jimnotgym 8y ago
      It's not so obvious who you are going to tax. Are you going to do it from income taxes, local property taxes,local business taxes, corporation taxes?
umichguy 8y ago
Unlike the tube it's not zone based pricing. One price no matter the distance or time.

$2.75 sounds really cheap to my British ears. How far can you go on that?

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

chadlavi 8y ago

It's not a zoned system. $2.75 gets you in, then you go wherever you want within the system.

pseudolus 8y ago

The NYC system isn't composed of "zones" like the systems in such cities as London and Paris. Essentially, once you pay your $2.75 you're free to travel to any subway station in the system. There's also a bus system with limited transfers.

_asummers 8y ago
DC metro has zones, as an example of a US train system with it.
kevin_thibedeau 8y ago
Toronto and London have zones. I'd bet the farm that Byford does the same when the MetroCard replacement is fully deployed.
scarejunba 8y ago
No zones effectively on the Métro. There are zones in Paris but that’s if you want to go suburban and then you don’t take the Métro. You take RER.

andywaite 8y ago

Up to 31 miles: https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/10/nyregion/10atrain.html https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/10/nyregion/10atrain.html

xxpor 8y ago
You can transfer from the A to other services too, so you're not just limited to that.

rashkov 8y ago

It's a flat rate to get to any transit station in the city, no matter how far away. In NYC, the neighborhoods at the edge of the transportation network have historically been less wealthy, so this is a nice pro-economic mobility thing, and pretty unique among transportation networks. I expect people to say that this should change, but I think it's probably part of new york's secret sauce for economic success.

sorisos 8y ago
Same in Stockholm. There was zone based fees for some time.

zanny 8y ago

Public transit shouldn't be expensive. It shouldn't pretty much ever run outside the red. The whole point of it is to incentivize its use and promote efficient means of travel. The only reason to charge at all is to disincentivize unnecessary consumption of it. If you are doing city planning you want as many people on the Subway as you can get. It enables greater density at ground level and is much cheaper to maintain (if you maintain it) than overcongested road networks and the required parking.

dluan 8y ago
It's an odd and funny argument to make that your product is working well if it's always on fire or broken, which you would think an HN commenter like a sysadmin would understand. It just seems the margins for error get ever thinner as your system scales. Other systems have figured this out, like Tokyo where they change over a major-use track in one night. Meanwhile, MTA shuts down the L for 15 months.
jimnotgym 8y ago
But someone has to pay? Broadly speaking either 1) The businesses pay to get their human resources to work 2) The travellers pay or 3) Central taxation pays So who should pay in New York?
- zanny 8y ago
  Obviously taxes. Those who benefit most from public transit are those least able to afford it, but making the cost baked in to the wealth of the people can driven even someone with a personal driver to maybe fathom using the tube instead once in a while if its borderline free.
  - jimnotgym 8y ago
    It's not so obvious who you are going to tax. Are you going to do it from income taxes, local property taxes,local business taxes, corporation taxes?

umichguy 8y ago

Unlike the tube it's not zone based pricing. One price no matter the distance or time.