Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2019 May 18

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May 18

New York subway "free" transfers

OK, so I was doing the Subway Challenge about 2 weeks ago, and here's what happened: I tried to use the "free" out-of-system transfer from the A train to the 1 train at Inwood-207th Street (due to the normal transfer at 168th Street being closed), but when I got to the 207th Street station on the 1 line and tried to use my card for the free transfer, the turnstile charged me a second fare! How could this be??? 2601:646:8A00:A0B3:4192:EBD4:E289:ABE0 (talk) 04:05, 18 May 2019 (UTC)

I know next to nothing about the New York subway, let alone their free transfers but a quick search for 'new york subway free transfer' finds [1] which says (actually I don't even have to click to see most of this since it's one of the Google automatic snippet things):

A MetroCard allows one free transfer within 2 hours of first swiping your card. You can transfer from bus to subway, subway to bus, bus to bus, or between select subway stations. (Free subway-to-subway transfers only apply when you are required to exit the station to make your connection.) If you take the subway one way and the bus back you can get two rides for one fare, but you can't transfer between buses going in opposite directions (i.e Madison and Fifth Avenue buses).

List of New York City Subway transfer stations also seems to suggest free subway to subway transfers being limited as does [2] which doesn't even mention them. Are you sure you're normally entitled to a free transfer between the station you left the A train and 168th Street station? If you aren't sure, seems to me there's a fair chance this isn't one of the transfers which is intended to be free. If you are sure, then there's a fair chance the problem is that transferring via the other station (Inwood-207th Street) is, probably intentionally, not eligible. If you were forced to due to the closure of the normal station and assuming there wasn't a designated alternative you were supposed to use, you may be able to convince them to waive the extra fee if you complain and explain your situation. At least here in NZ I think it's likely although our system is a lot simpler so doesn't have such complexities anyway. Nil Einne (talk) 09:47, 18 May 2019 (UTC)

BTW, if you've done this before or read about it and it's been free, but only when forced to by the closure then a likely explanation would be the process of enabling a free transfer at Inwood-207th Street when the 168th Street station is closed is not completely automated and someone mess up or is supposed to be but fell through for some reason. Nil Einne (talk) 10:24, 18 May 2019 (UTC)

Oh, I see -- it was more than 2 hours after last swiping the card! (I started the challenge at Rockaway Park at 4 AM, but the transfer from the A to the 1 took place at 7:45 AM!) 2601:646:8A00:A0B3:4192:EBD4:E289:ABE0 (talk) 02:23, 19 May 2019 (UTC)