MBTA Fare System (Charlie, AFC 2.0, Zone, Discounts)

[Badusername]

will Cubic aggregate all taps from a single card and run it at the end of each day, so that your round trip is a single charge?

Are there systems that do this? I would assume batch processing of transactions would create loopholes where you could use a prepaid debit card with 0$ value on it and the transaction wouldn’t fail until the end of the day, giving unlimited free rides.

 

[Teban54]

It also means that if you're visiting NYC from a Wednesday to next Tuesday you'll cap twice, which is annoying. Last time I went to NYC I got a Metrocard because it lets you use a 7-day pass starting at any point.

That's not how it works though. From the OMNY fare capping explanations:

Your first tap starts a new seven-day cap. If you spend $34 within seven days, you ride free for the rest of the cap period. If you spend less, you only pay for the rides you take.

The cap resets every seven days and restarts with your next tap. Express buses, group trips, and transfers do not count toward the cap. The Reduced-Fare cap is $17.

So if you visit NYC on Wednesday, May 8 and tap for the first time on that day, the 12-trip fare cap period lasts until Tuesday, May 14. If your next tap after the period is on May 18, it starts a new 7-day period that ends on May 24.

 

[TheRatmeister]

That's not how it works though. From the OMNY fare capping explanations:

So if you visit NYC on Wednesday, May 8 and tap for the first time on that day, the 12-trip fare cap period lasts until Tuesday, May 14. If your next tap after the period is on May 18, it starts a new 7-day period that ends on May 24.

It appears this was changed at the end of last year, so I did not have access to that when I visited. Still a welcome change though.

 

[thepixelnation]

It appears this was changed at the end of last year, so I did not have access to that when I visited. Still a welcome change though.

Yeah I also remember a slew of ads on the subway saying "if you hit 13 before sunday, you ride free", but I guess they didn't want to make a whole new slew of ads

 

[Stlin]

Are there systems that do this?

I can't tell you which transit systems do so, but given that there's a entire section entitled "Contactless Transit Aggregated Transactions" in the Mastercard Rules (similar exist in Visa/Amex) it definitely happens.

I would assume batch processing of transactions would create loopholes where you could use a prepaid debit card with 0$ value on it and the transaction wouldn’t fail until the end of the day, giving unlimited free rides.

A Visa subsidiary has an API for that, which follows this flowchart, but in short if your card is declined it'll add to a deny list, which means it won't open a gate for that card in the future. However if you did tap that denied card again in the future, and you now have money in the account, it'll charge it for your debts (previously unpaid rides + any fees) and then unblock it if it goes through. I think this counts on the fact that cards don't grow on trees, so there's a hassle hurdle in getting an unending supply of invalid cards.

 

[as02143]

I can't tell you which transit systems do so, but given that there's a entire section entitled "Contactless Transit Aggregated Transactions" in the Mastercard Rules (similar exist in Visa/Amex) it definitely happens.
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This sounds similar to how Uber and Lyft process their payments as aggregated single payments for the course of a day.

 

[bakgwailo]

Are there systems that do this? I would assume batch processing of transactions would create loopholes where you could use a prepaid debit card with 0$ value on it and the transaction wouldn’t fail until the end of the day, giving unlimited free rides.

Loopholes? Just wait for some kids from MIT to bust out the war cart again. Or maybe just some high school kids will figure out some workarounds in the new system.