September 24, 2004
Please Swipe Again
I was waiting to go through a subway turnstile this morning and stood behind a guy who kept getting the dreaded "Swipe Card Again at This Turnstile" every time he tried using his MetroCard. There was only one turnstile at this subway entrance and the line behind this guy kept getting longer. The question I have is, how many times is too many times?
Late For Work, Upper West Side
From the pole-hugger to the guy who sits on a seat with his legs splayed out to the person who doesn't know the proper techniques for folding a newspaper while sandwiched between a dozen commuters, most people who breach subway etiquette are not so much rude as they are simply clueless. Since you seem more annoyed at the fact that this rider was utterly unaware of the growing line behind him, Ask Gothamist would be hesitant to put a limit on the number of times one can swipe and re-swipe a MetroCard in the event of an error message.
At a deserted station riders are free to swipe to their hearts' content. But once the line starts growing and those annoying messages simply won't go away, it's up to the individual to decide if it's worth ticking off the five, ten, twenty or more riders queuing up behind him.
The answer to your question is less a matter of establishing a rule as it is reinforcing the idea that those who use public transportation and share its confined quarters, narrow platforms and, yes, single turnstiles, should simply pay attention.
Gothamist on bent MetroCards and a term for people who don't know how to swipe properly.
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I have to say, for frequent subway riders who generally know how to swipe, the error message most often pops up when there is something wrong with the card reader or the card (and not the user). I actually had the problem once where I kept swiping, and it wouldn't go through, and when I finally gave up and went to the other entrance (missing a train in the process), my card then said that my card had already been used at that station. I guess the question then becomes whether it's really even a matter of etiqette, given that the machines essentially require you to keep swiping until it works, because moving out of the way will actually disable you from getting on the train altogether (or for another 18 minutes). Luckily for me, when this happened, I moved from the unmanned entrance to the manned entrance, so the token booth clerk was able to let me in through the special door.
I have heard that it is unwise to switch machines to swipe another as the card might be charged twice.
I think it's possible to get charged twice; I too have swiped, gotten the error message, and then gotten a message telling me the card had just been used, at the same turnstile. Lucky for me, the subway station I travel through most often has an attendant, so I've never gotten stuck (they must get that a lot; usually they just sort of buzz you right through).
Then again, I saw a guy yesterday who couldn't figure out how to swipe the card at the right speed. (Clearly an out-of-towner.) I just walked by him (I was in a hurry and there were 4 turnstiles) but I wonder how long he stood there trying to go through and if anyone stopped to help him.
If you get the "Please Swipe Again" message, you won't be charged twice if you move to a different turnstile.
If you get the "Swipe Again At This Turnstile" message, be careful because you could get charged twice. It's also an 18 minute wait between swipes on an unlimited card.
The main point of this question relates mostly to what you should do when you get the "Please Swipe Again" message. If there is no danger of being charged twice, move aside and let others pass. Perhaps the MTA should fix the messages so they aren't so close in phrasing.