Last edit by: FlyinHawaiian
As of October 2018, there are some temporary changes to the M60-SBS service for those taking the N/W NYC Subway service from Astoria Blvd:
- https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/new-york-city/1960975-astoria-blvd-n-w-subway-stop-closed-3-17-209-through-12-2019-m60-lga-impacted.html
For the love of god, can NYC create a reasonable public transport option to LGA?
#211
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From LGA, it can be a problem especially if people don't know to buy a metrocard in advance of arriving at an SBS bus stop. There are curbside SBS machines but no metrocard ticket machines along side them. That makes no sense especially at an airport with no signage about where to buy metrocards.
#212
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From LGA, it can be a problem especially if people don't know to buy a metrocard in advance of arriving at an SBS bus stop. There are curbside SBS machines but no metrocard ticket machines along side them. That makes no sense especially at an airport with no signage about where to buy metrocards.
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#214
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#215
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Even if it's possible I wouldn't recommend it unless you're sure to use up ALL the pay-per-ride value on your Metrocard before the expiration date on the card itself. Once you add multiple kinds of value to a single card, it becomes much harder to exchange that card for a new one when it expires (you often have to mail it in, and it takes months to get it back). I think it's worth the extra $1 fee to get the 10-trip AirTrain value on a separate card so that it won't mess up your ability to exchange your regular pay-per-ride card for a new card (and keep the value) when it expires.
#216
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One time when I had an agent combine several Metro Cards (before the $1 charge, of course) it even preserved the bus transfer on one of them.
#217
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I had a card expire a couple months ago that I couldn't exchange at a vending machine or even at a booth. The booth attendant told me that it was because it had both time and value on it (I only used it as pay-per-ride, but it was a card I found on the floor that was previously used by someone else as an unlimited Express Bus card). And it took almost two months to get a card back after I mailed it in. I wouldn't be surprised if a combination pay-per-ride and AirTrain 10-trip card (assuming you can even combine those things on the same card) might have the same issue.
#218
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Yes, that works beautifully if you have a straight-up pay-per-ride (value-based) Metrocard. But if you start adding different kinds of credit (value, time) to the same card, it can screw things up.
I had a card expire a couple months ago that I couldn't exchange at a vending machine or even at a booth. The booth attendant told me that it was because it had both time and value on it (I only used it as pay-per-ride, but it was a card I found on the floor that was previously used by someone else as an unlimited Express Bus card). And it took almost two months to get a card back after I mailed it in. I wouldn't be surprised if a combination pay-per-ride and AirTrain 10-trip card (assuming you can even combine those things on the same card) might have the same issue.
+1.
I had a similar experience with an expired Metrocard that I had used as both pay-per-ride and as a 7-day unlimited. The card could not be exchanged at either a station booth or at a MVM; I mailed the card in around October 19; just received the replacement a few days ago.
Originally Posted by themicah
I had a card expire a couple months ago that I couldn't exchange at a vending machine or even at a booth. The booth attendant told me that it was because it had both time and value on it (I only used it as pay-per-ride, but it was a card I found on the floor that was previously used by someone else as an unlimited Express Bus card). And it took almost two months to get a card back after I mailed it in. I wouldn't be surprised if a combination pay-per-ride and AirTrain 10-trip card (assuming you can even combine those things on the same card) might have the same issue.
I had a similar experience with an expired Metrocard that I had used as both pay-per-ride and as a 7-day unlimited. The card could not be exchanged at either a station booth or at a MVM; I mailed the card in around October 19; just received the replacement a few days ago.
#219
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Most SBS locations have two machines that take Metrocards and one that takes coins only. You cannot pay for buses (whether regular buses or SBS) with paper money.
#220
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Yes, that works beautifully if you have a straight-up pay-per-ride (value-based) Metrocard. But if you start adding different kinds of credit (value, time) to the same card, it can screw things up.
I had a card expire a couple months ago that I couldn't exchange at a vending machine or even at a booth. The booth attendant told me that it was because it had both time and value on it (I only used it as pay-per-ride, but it was a card I found on the floor that was previously used by someone else as an unlimited Express Bus card). And it took almost two months to get a card back after I mailed it in. I wouldn't be surprised if a combination pay-per-ride and AirTrain 10-trip card (assuming you can even combine those things on the same card) might have the same issue.
I had a card expire a couple months ago that I couldn't exchange at a vending machine or even at a booth. The booth attendant told me that it was because it had both time and value on it (I only used it as pay-per-ride, but it was a card I found on the floor that was previously used by someone else as an unlimited Express Bus card). And it took almost two months to get a card back after I mailed it in. I wouldn't be surprised if a combination pay-per-ride and AirTrain 10-trip card (assuming you can even combine those things on the same card) might have the same issue.
#221
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+1.
I had a similar experience with an expired Metrocard that I had used as both pay-per-ride and as a 7-day unlimited. The card could not be exchanged at either a station booth or at a MVM; I mailed the card in around October 19; just received the replacement a few days ago.
#222
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In my experience, you just need to attempt to add value after it has expired. The machine will then notify you that it is expired, and then have an option for a new card (at no further charge,) and the old balance will be transferred over.
#223
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Ohhhhh, that's what I've always done. Thanks.
#224
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"So I'll have to mail it in and thus buy a new card (and be forced to spend $1 new card fee) in the meantime?"
Another option is to buy a pre-valued Metrocard (from a Metrocard merchant), which has no $1 new-card fee.
"So I'll have to mail it in and thus buy a new card (and be forced to spend $1 new card fee) in the meantime?"
Another option is to buy a pre-valued Metrocard (from a Metrocard merchant), which has no $1 new-card fee.