New York City's MTA Exposed (2005) [pdf]

https://events.ccc.de/congress/2005/fahrplan/attachments/594-paper_MagneticStripeTechnology2.pdf

by potomak • 11 years ago

45 19 11 years ago

events.ccc.de

acomjean• 11 years ago

"Interestingly enough, track 12 does not only contain information pertaining to the last use, but also to the use before that."

This might explain why the system sometimes asks you to "Swipe again" when going through the turnstiles. maybe the write failed?

In the 90s the system had tokens. Someone figured out a cheap way to game the system using inexpensive South American coins..

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19951206&id=...

bosdev• 11 years ago

Wouldn't the most likely reason to "Swipe again" be that the read failed?

gcr• 11 years ago

The display sometimes reads "Swipe Again At This Turnstile," which might imply that data corruption would occur if you swiped elsewhere...

luisrudge• 11 years ago

MTA cards are terrible. So is MTA's customer service. I lost $60 (2 7-Day Unlimited cards) because the two cards were demagnetized. They weren't next to each other, but both were kept close to cellphones. I went to the MTA booth and they staff said to mail the cards so I can get a refund. This may work for NYC residents, but foreign tourists will never see that money again. The card and system is so bad, that one may actually think they want this to be bad so they can profit more.

santaclaus• 11 years ago

I'm not sure what the booth staff are even there for. Every time I've had an issue when visiting NYC, they tell me to mail stuff to the MTA. Machine ate your twenty dollar bill? Write a letter. Card not swiping? Write a letter.

pravda• 11 years ago

That's the power of public sector unions! Minimum-wage employees getting compensation well into the six-figures and they don't even have to work!

jrockway• 11 years ago

Giving directions, help with non-working cards (I've had them fix a card before), etc. The usual agent at High St. also says hello to me when I'm coming home at 2:30 in the morning.

Maybe they can't fix every problem, but overall, not bad to have around.

ics2• 11 years ago

Here's how it "works" for residents:

1. Find out during morning commute that your card is borked.

2. Go to the agent (if there is one) and ask for the form.

3. Buy a new MetroCard, same as your usual period since you can't be without it and the savings are worth it.

4. Fill out the form on the train, send it when you get off, and hope for the best.

5. If you're lucky, in a few weeks they'll send you a new MetroCard with the amount lost (based on the date your card was sent in until the end of its unlimited period)

Last I remember, you eat the cost of overlap since you don't stop getting an unlimited card in the meantime– though someone should correct me if I'm wrong here. I've actually never lost an unlimited to this problem though friends/family has.

jakemoshenko• 11 years ago

You don't have to eat the cost of the overlap, and they don't send you a new metrocard, they credit the credit card you used to purchase the metrocard. You never stopped getting unlimited metrocards, but you are credited for the overlap. E.g. your $100 card gets borked on the 15th of the month, you buy a new card on the 15th, through the next 14th, and you get $50 credit for the 15th through 30th. You've essentially sold 1/2 of your original unlimited back to the MTA and changed the date of your cycle.

cmurf• 11 years ago

The tone the turnstile makes when it successfully reads the card, and fails to read the card, are the same. Don't be blind!

fennecfoxen• 11 years ago

The tone lasts for infetesimally longer when it fails to read the card. Good luck telling the difference, even if you're blind.

thedufer• 11 years ago

That's what I thought when I first moved here, but there is actually a difference. It is very subtle.

cbhl• 11 years ago

What would happen if you used your own blank plastic magnetic card? Would it be more durable? Would the vending machines refuse to load your fare onto them?

(I imagine the MTA doesn't have enough money for upkeep, let alone upgrading the turnstiles with NFC readers.)

jameshk• 11 years ago

Interesting question, I'm curious about this too.

ceras2• 11 years ago

The MTA has planned to upgrade to a tap-to-pay system in its 2015-2019 capital program, but that budget has a huge shortfall. Regardless, last I heard the metro cards are getting too costly to maintain so the rollout may still happen.

ChuckMcM• 11 years ago

Does anyone know if the original requirements documents for these systems was ever published or archived?

New York City's MTA Exposed (2005) [pdf]

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