jkind wrote:
The increased capcity is good and the cars will all have three doors per side which will help load times, but a major problem I saw with their design is the lack of center poles. The rep said this design was chosen to encourage people to move to the middle of the car, but most people in the meeting agreed that this would not be the case. We all thought people would huddle around the poles close to the doors.

tommyc_37 wrote:
Oh, have no fear...the new Path trains will accomodate more people. The seats are about 3/4 of the width of the current seats, so we will all be more squished together.

by Robocub on 2008/10/28 13:12:44

I'm so tired of people ranting in forums like this, where it all falls on no ones ears who can actually do something. I really suggest you log onto a site like FixMy Path and send an appropriate message to the PA.

http://www.fixmypath.com/

ansky wrote:
I was taking the Path home from Newark last night and as the train was rolling towards JC we passed a bunch of new Path cars sitting on the tracks. They look nice from the outside. Hopefully they will be in service soon.

JCbiscuit wrote:
was anyone else foolish enough to take one of the white cards they were handing out at the turnstiles during the pm commute yesterday?

it was an apology note for Tuesday's service suspension.

I got up to the platform at 23rd street, and it was littered with white cards, some blowing onto the tracks.

they looked kinda flammable.

GrovePath wrote:
Many are passing up cheapest PATH ride

Thursday, April 10, 2008
By AMY SARA CLARK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

It's been just over a month since unlimited-ride PATH SmartLink cards were introduced - but, so far, customers are less enthused than might be expected.

Only about 10 percent of riders are using the cards. Since the Port Authority began offering the unlimited ride cards March 2 - in conjunction with the single-ride price hike from $1.50 to $1.75 - about 12,000 have been sold.

The card allows customers to ride as often as they want for a flat price, with 1-day cards for $6, 7-day cards for $18, and 30-day cards for $54, plus a one-time fee for the card. About 37,170 customers applied for a free SmartLink card during a recent Port Authority promotion.

"I just use the card Monday through Friday," said Robert Williams, a legal assistant who lives in Jersey City and works in Manhattan. "When you do the math it's cheaper."

"I just get the 20-trip ride. I don't take the PATH on weekends," agreed Jennifer Rayo, a 32-year-old IT professional who lives in Union City and commutes to Lower Manhattan.

But while the pay-per-trip cards appear slightly cheaper at first glance, a closer look shows they're not.

Most people interviewed compared the price of the 40-trip card - $52 - to the $54 for a 30-day unlimited pass. But most months have about 22 work days a month, or 44 trips. Thus, even if riders only use the card for the daily commute, the unlimited card is slightly cheaper, working out to $1.23 per trip compared to $1.30 per trip for a multi-trip card.

Both are significantly less expensive than the $1.75 paid by people who buy one trip at a time.

"If you're a daily commuter the (unlimited) monthly is the cheapest option," said Marc La Vorgna, a spokesman for the Port Authority. He stressed that the Port Authority is not advocating that people buy the cards, the authority just wants to offer another option.

Surprisingly, 40 percent of PATH riders use the New York City subway MetroCard, which is accepted by PATH.

But unlimited PATH card sales may pick up soon. Some people interviewed said they were still using up multi-trip cards, but would consider using it soon. Others may choose to buy it as they learn more about it.

Ten years after New York City's subways began offering an unlimited card, 49 percent of subway riders use it.

Jigan Thakkar, a 22-year-old graduate student at Stevens Institute who lives in Jersey City, chose to buy PATH's monthly card because he takes it at least six days a week - four days to school, and two to visit his uncle who lives in New York.

"It's a good service," he said. "You can save a lot of money."

JSalt wrote:
Quote:

tommyc_37 wrote:
Question - can the unlimited 30-day SmartLink card be used to swipe somebody else in right after you? For example, if I had a friend with me from out of town, who doesn't have a card?

In that circumstance, I'm sure if you just explain to the PATH officer that your friend is from out of town and he doesn't have a card, he'll happily let your friend through.

I mean he's from out of town and he doesn't have a card, come on.

tommyc_37 wrote:
Question - can the unlimited 30-day SmartLink card be used to swipe somebody else in right after you? For example, if I had a friend with me from out of town, who doesn't have a card?

tommyc_37 wrote:
Question - can the unlimited 30-day SmartLink card be used to swipe somebody else in right after you? For example, if I had a friend with me from out of town, who doesn't have a card?