Rethinking the Unlimited Metrocard

As one who has questioned the economical choice of buying an unlimited vs. pay-per-ride Metrocard, I recently had a revelation. I usually go pay-per-ride in the summer (as I have summers off from school and don't travel nearly as often) and buy an unlimited during work. This year I'm at two schools and one is 20 blocks away. I thought I'd walk some days, and wanted to figure out if it was worth it to go unlimited.

Unlimited metrocards currently cost $81 and are valid for 30 consecutive days.
Pay per rides are $2 per ride, with a $15% bonus when you spend $10 or more.

I knew I had Pumpkin and JC to come home to, and probably wouldn't be doing too much post-work travel, so I guessed that I'd be taking 2 rides each weekday (let's average 22 workdays in a month), so about 44 rides in a month.

$81 / 44 = $1.84 a ride. Not too bad. Cheaper than the $2 fare.

44 rides at $2 each would cost me $88 on a pay-per-ride. Until I remembered the 15% discount. If I spent $80, I'd get 40 rides + 6 free rides. $1.74/ride for pay-per-ride vs. $1.84/ride with UL. If I walk to my nearby school at all, I'm saving even more.

Now if you look at September, there's Labor Day and Rosh Hashanah, so school workdays total 20. If I bought an unlimited metrocard in September, the per-trip cost goes up to $2/ride.

If you're a commuter who will travel once more per day, or if you know you like to ride public on the weekends, unlimited is definitely the way to go. But if you're a daily commuter who is looking to really cut costs, look to see if a PPR might be the way to go.

If your company offers transitchek, make sure you sign up for it. I have the TransitChek Card which puts pre-tax money onto an ATM card that can only be used at metrocard vending machines. If I want a 1-day card for my folks when they come into town, I buy it. If I want a 30 day I get it, or I can just refill my PPR. It's good stuff.

Farewell, sweet nalgene, farewell my lunchbag...

Greenie is history.

For the past few years, I've taken a lunchbag to work, on those day that I don't plan to embrace the lure of cheap chinese food. A dual-leveled piece of genius, I keep my Nalgene bottle up top, and my edibles down below. Yesterday, I realized at 168th street that my load was a bit lighter than usual. I left my lunchbag on a bench in the 181st street train station. In it, a fork, a disposable tupperware, and a half-empty nalgene bottle.

I got off, and waited for the next uptown A, getting more and more nervous as downtown A's passed... Is some scoundrel having their way with my bag on that train? I finally got back up to 181 and found my bag had grown legs and walked to the garbage can. Although, not in the garbage can, but on the floor next to it. ...?!? I opened it up. Fork? Check. Tupperware? Check. nalgene bottle? Alas, poor tankard, you've served me well...

I took the bag a couple of stations, thinking about what vile nastiness it was sitting in, and acknowledging the age and wear of it... I took the fork, chucked the rest. The last day of school starts without my trusty companion. But also, with out the BPAs. With all this talk about the chemicals leaching out of the number 7 recyclables, I figured this is a good opportunity to find a better solution.

The hunt begins. It'll start with looking at sigg bottles (thanks Bitter!), or maybe BPA-free nalgenes... Other suggestions?

I'm sorry I let you down, Greenie.

Travel without Limits

Ooooh, I do enjoy that TransitChek. Pre-tax dollars go onto an ATM card which can be used at the Metrocard ATMs to buy unlimited or pay-per-ride metrocards. I've had a version of transit check for the past 7 years, and it's always been convenient. Since it's money I didn't otherwise see, my already paid unlimited metrocards are like tokens from heaven.

And then there's summer.

DW and I both work for the DOE, and as such we have that nice bit of time called summer vacation. I usually work a good portion of it, but this year we thought it would be nice to have time together off as a couple.

Trying to be somewhat wise with our money, we don't buy unlimiteds during the summer. We tend to travel sporadically, leave the city for a few days here and there, and generally go as the wind takes us. Today it made me aware that with a pay-per-ride metrocard, I make use of the city very differently than I do with the unlimited.

Today we had some errands in the early morning to take care of, but are now at home relaxing. Never quite content to relax, I start thinking about what I might do with this free afternoon...

Me: I could go to [Trader Joes*] and look around. Of course, I probably won't buy anything. And that'd cost 4 bucks that I really don't need to spend.
(*Replace Trader Joes with any other time-passing excursion.)

I love the neighborhood I'm in, and it's surprisingly complete at meeting my everyday needs. It's a shame though, that I'm denying myself the other 98% of the city just to save four measly dollars.