NEW YORK, NY — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is set to extend the validity of one-way and round-trip tickets on the commuter railroads from two weeks to two months. The refund period for those tickets is being extended from one month to two months. Ten-trip tickets will remain valid for six months. The period during which a ten-trip ticket is refundable is being lengthened to match its validity.
A $10 refund processing fee will remain in effect to recoup some of the administrative expenses of issuing and mailing checks.
The MTA anticipates that this change in the validity period will mean an annual loss of about $6 million in revenue to Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road.
“We’re pleased that the cost containment efforts of our commuter railroads, combined with increased ridership, make it possible to broaden our ticket validity and refund policies to further benefit Long Island Rail Road and Metro North customers,” said MTA Chairman Joseph J. Lhota. “This benefit will cost the railroads $6 million, but combined with the expanded service investments announced last week, shows the MTA’s commitment to customer service.”
In December 2010 the MTA abbreviated the validity periods to reduce revenue loss from uncollected tickets and imposed a refund fee of $10 to partially cover the actual cost of processing the refund.
These policies generated numerous complaints from customers and elected officials. In response, the MTA has agreed to increase the validity on one-way and round-trip tickets.
These changes were presented to committees of the MTA board at their July 23 meeting. They take effect September 4, 2012.