Metrocard Calculations

The following article from the New York Times discusses the recent fare increase for public transit in NYC:

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/m-t-a-meets-to-increase-transit-fares/

The base fare for a ride on a NYC subway or bus is now $2.25, and price changes have been made both to the monthly unlimited-ride cards and the bulk-purchase bonus rate.

For those of us who live in New York and frequently use public transit, we are faced with the following optimization problem:  is it better to buy the monthly unlimited-use card for $104, or purchase some amount of “single-rides” in bulk and receive a 7% bonus?

The above Times article discusses some of the strategies and factors to consider in making this decision.  In addition, it points the reader to the website www.metrocardbonuscalculator.com that allows the user to experiment with various purchasing scenarios.

Fare hikes have become more commonplace over the past few years, but reliable public transit is still a bargain.  And I’d pay an extra few cents for some additional cleaning crews.