HELPFUL HINTS FOR USING SUBWAY/BUS:
The base fare for a subway or bus ride is $2, no matter how far you ride or what time of day it is. Buses accept MetroCards or coins (no pennies). Subways only accept MetroCards, which you can buy with cash, credit card or debit card from the vending machines in the subway stations.
You can choose between two kinds of MetroCards:
1) Pay-Per-Ride cards are sold in amounts from $4 to $80. These cards allow for a free transfer from subway-bus, bus-subway or bus-bus within a two-hour period after you swipe the card at the beginning of your trip. Up to four people can share a pay-per-ride card at one time, swiping four times. When transferring with multiple people on the same card, you only need to swipe once at the transfer point. When you buy a Pay-Per-Ride card worth $7 or more, you get a 15 percent bonus, so a $10 card actually will have $11.50 on it, a $20 will have $23 on it, etc.
2) Unlimited Ride cards come in 1-day, 7-day, 14-day and 30-day versions. A 1 Day Fun Pass costs $7.50, so it is worth it if you think you will get on the subway or bus four times in one day. If you are staying longer than the conference and plan to go sightseeing, you might want to buy a 7-day unlimited pass for $25. But if you are only going to be here for the conference, then you might want to just do a $10 Pay-Per-Ride.
When using a MetroCard on the bus, insert the card vertically. The machine will suck it down, read it and pop it back up like a toaster. When entering the subway, swipe the MetroCard like a credit card and go through the turnstile. The screen will say Go, or Swipe Again at This Turnstile if you swipe too quickly or slowly.
Sit down or hold on when riding the bus or subway. You might fall and hurt yourself or someone under you! When the train arrives in a station, the doors will be open for about 10 seconds, so be ready to get on and off quickly.
Trains are named with numbers or letters. They are also named according to their final destination and the main thoroughfare they run under such as a Bronx-bound Seventh Avenue Express 2 train. Trains that go through Manhattan are either uptown or downtown in direction, which is equivalent to north and south. Read signs to make sure you’re on the correct platform: downtown if you want to go toward the bottom of Manhattan or uptown if you are going back up toward the top part of Manhattan. (No one uses the terms north and south in Manhattan).
Express trains stop only at major stations, marked on the subway map by white dots. Local trains stop at every station, those marked with white dots and those with black dots. Limited buses stop only at major intersections, about every 6-10 blocks. Local/regular buses stop at every stop, about every 3-4 blocks.
When entering or exiting the subway platform with luggage, you can pass it over or under the turnstile, or you can motion to the station attendant that you want to use the emergency door. Don’t worry if you accidentally set off an alarm; it happens all the time.
New York City is very safe for a big city, but there are still pickpockets especially in tourist areas. Keep your purse close to you at all times, especially on crowded subways and buses. Hold it in front of you; don’t let it hang behind you. In a restaurant, put your purse in your lap or between your feet, not on the back of your chair or beside you.
Using public transportation is all part of the New York experience. Millions of New Yorkers do it every day; you can, too! Have fun!
