weegiewife

Another possible reason that there isn't an uproar over the latest change to Charlie Cards and Charlie Tickets is that for some folks, the result of the change in the fare structure is that fares have gone DOWN.

My monthly T pass used to cost $79 a month because my closest T stop was the outlying red line station, and it cost double the fare throughout most of the system. (Back when it was still tokens, it took 2 tokens to go into town, and if you were coming out of the city, a token to get on and a token to get off.) This extra surcharge was done away with, and now I pay $59 a month for the joy (ha!) of riding the T.

If you think the fare structure doesn't make sense, how about this? The T just built a new commuter rail line to the south shore. I was very excited about this initially, but I don't know if I will ever ride it because of the fare structure. There is a new station about a mile and a half from where I live. The T is about 3 miles from where I live. It costs $59 a month to travel on the T, but $151 a month for a commuter rail pass for my nearest stop. Huh?

Lurker1999

You did the right thing to ask for the CharlieCard. That female guard was just being a thug. I should point out that MBTA does not have "security guards" per say only employees and there is also MBTA aka Transit Police. You likely encountered an employee on a power trip.

People that have never bothered getting a CharlieCard are the only locals that really should be using the CharlieTickets. Even if you're a tourist a CharlieCard can be advantageous due to the reduced cost of bus/subway transfers in addition to the overall low fare. That said, if you're only going to be in town for a couple of days and don't plan on coming back any time soon I wouldn't waste time looking for a place to get a CharlieCard and just stick with the ticket.

violist

The plan was to phase out free distribution of the cards and offer them
for sale (the way many cities do, including Washington DC and Singapore)
or for residents only by application (Christchurch). I don't know when if
ever this scheme will be implemented.

Jaclyn

They have officially entered this stage. I have a CharlieCard with my monthly pass on it and thought I would get an extra card to load in case I lost it. I was informed at the South Station commuter ticket booth that they can only be "bought." She would only give me one if I loaded a value onto it. Sort of pointless if I always buy monthly. Also as far as I know the only official places to get Charliecards now are South Station, Back Bay, North Station and Downtown Crossing....maybe Gov't center.

What bothers me the most about this system is the inconsistency. I live off the Green C-Line and there are no machines to even buy a charlieticket. I try to plan ahead when we have visitors to save my guests from the glaring looks one receives for paying cash on board.

Analise

You don't get it? Well the ny city tax applies to all residents; you can't bypass it if you happen to be lucky enough to have been given a "bypass the city tax" plastic card. Why is it so hard for people to understand that the concept that having two payment tracks based on having the luck of someone giving you a cheaper option is bizarre. Also, how are your property taxes in MA? In NYC, property taxes are remarkably low. That right there makes up for city income tax. But then again, I'm not sure what a universal city income tax has to do with a Boston train system which has two different price schemes depending upon if you're lucky enough to get a plastic card.

Yes she was deciding who should spend more money and who should get a good deal. What a lowlife.

Well I now have the card so I'll use it. I find it odd that there is not one pricing scheme (per ride, multiple rides, unlimited) but two depending upon if you're not clued in enough to get the cheaper card versus ticket. Again, in NYC, that would not hold. We all may pay more to live and work here but we won't put up with two different public transportation pricing models depending upon paper or plastic.

DC has two different pricing models depending upon if you buy a plastic card and then put money on it verses paying a higher price for a free paper ticket? When did that start?

As for Boston, did the city gov't wonks change their minds regarding charging for the plastic cards? The cards are being phased out, when will they phase in only one price list?

OB one

Since you brought up NYC property taxes, you might want to look at this site http://www.henrygeorgeschool.org/taxquestions.htm Seems not every property is treated equally. And the NYC income tax is progressive, no, so higher income payers pay more. This is certainly not equal payments.

I have no problem with being upset to be charged the higher price for the ticket. You should be upset, especially since it seems so capricious, but to say New Yorkers wouldn't put up with it is silly. I can assure you there is no huge movement to overthrow the MBTA fare structure.

Speaking of fare structures, if you drove to Boston recently via the Pike, you paid a toll, but since I have a fastpass device, I get a reduced price and I can deduct the expense from my state income tax. That said, people who drive into Boston from the North or South do not pay this onerous toll, so people who live west of Boston subsidize the rest of the commuters and pay a larger portion of the Big Dig, but there is no tea party going on. For the pittance this would save me personally, it is just not worth the fight.

Blumie

There's no reason for this to be yet another NY vs. Boston battle. (After all, we know how that will come out. Just look who won the World Series, after all! )

I've done a little bit of research, and it seem that the MBTA's plan was/is to incent people to use the CharlieCard because it will allow the MBTA to operate more efficiently by, among other things, (1) capturing data about passenger's travel patters and (2) allowing for more efficient ways for people to pay their fares, such as by reloading your card over the internet or providing for automatic reloading when the card runs out.

I honestly don't think anyone in either Boston or NY would object to the fare difference on this basis. (It's the exact same theory that is used in NY and Boston to provide discounted tolls for EZ Pass and FastLane users.) To the extent there's been negative publicity -- and I think it would be the same in NY -- it is that privacy advocates are not happy with the amount of personal data that the MBTA is able to capture using these cards.

FlyingBear

Analise, I hope its ok to slightly steal this thread on a related question?
So, I'm doing a 3-Day trip to Boston in January and figure that my best bet will be a Week Link Pass. Does that require a Charlie Card or is it a Charlie Ticket (or for that matter just some kind of regular ticket)? If the latter, can I purchase it from Logan? (The site makes reference to Purchase a pass at over 500 in-station fare vending machines or retail sales locations. )

JY1024

You can load a Weekly Pass onto both the CharlieCard or a CharlieTicket. (If you don't already have a CharlieCard, then don't worry about it. It's not any more expensive to load a Weekly Pass onto a CharlieTicket.) You can buy your Week LinkPass at any of the vending machines. Just follow the directions on the screen for buying a pass, and it'll dispense a paper CharlieTicket that you will scan each time you take the subway or bus. Just don't lose it!

mikeef

An excellent explanation, and I've always wondered why Charlie's wife didn't just hand him a nickel. Maybe he was trying to make a political statement. Come to think of it, look on the TS&S forum for a poster named "Charlie."

Mike

Blumie

I remember when I was a kid the very first time I rode the Red Line out to Quincy (where you could catch a bus to take you to Paragon Park at Nantasket Beach!) and having to pay another fare to exit the station. Presumably if I didn't have the extra dime, I could've reboarded a train and ridden back to Boston, where I could exit without paying an extra fare. I also seem to recall this scheme on the Green Line. Didn't you have to pay an extra quarter to exit the Riverside Line if you got off beyond a certain point? (My recollection is that, as a kid, my fare was a dime no matter what, so I was not obligated to pay the extra fare. But I think adults did.)

weegiewife

Ah Blumie, you're making my eyes misty with memories of misspent youthful days at Paragon Park and Nantasket beach.....

Yeah, you used to also have to pay extra at Quincy Center before Braintree was built.

Analise

Well that makes sense. So why don't they have signage promoting the plastic card as the cheaper option than one using a paper ticket? Why was there some idiot female employee who would NOT want customers to get the plastic card?

Blumie

Because at the end of the day, the MBTA just is not particularly well run. People in NY like to complain about the MTA, but IME the MTA is far better run than is the MBTA.

chewy3

We should be complaining why the T closes at 12:30am - not an insignificant
$.30.