WESTCHESTER BEE-LINE GETS READY FOR APRIL 1 DEBUT OF METROCARD
MetroCard Van available monthly starting Feb. 12 to assist bus riders during transition

Click here for MetroCard van schedule in Westchester and Go-Team Site Visits
 

Seniors get help from the GoTeam with information on the changes they can expect with the changeover to MetroCard on April 1, complete the Reduced Fare MetroCard application and to take their photographs, which they will need to get for the new MetroCard identification cards.

As part of Westchester’s public outreach to get transit riders on board with the MetroCard fare system which goes in effect on April 1, the MetroCard full-service van will be making stops along major bus routes in the county monthly starting February 12.

The van will be staffed by MTA New York City Transit Authority and county Department of Transportation employees who will be able to assist riders with all their MetroCard business. The van is equipped to sell MetroCards, accept Reduced-Fare MetroCard applications for seniors and the disabled and to provide information about the advantages and savings MetroCard offers. Seniors and people with disabilities who already have a Reduced-Fare MetroCard that they use in New York City, will even be able to replenish the balances on their existing cards.

County Executive Andy Spano said, “More than 100,000 people ride our buses and we are pushing to make the transition to MetroCard as easy as possible for them. Once riders catch on to the ins and outs of MetroCard, they’ll find out how easy it is to use, the savings it will provide and the expanded travel opportunities they will have getting around Westchester and in and out of New York City.”

“The MetroCard Van is a ‘one-stop shop’ for our Bee-Line riders. Whether people choose to sign up for MetroCard or not, this will be a good place for them to get their questions answered,” he said.
When MetroCard fare boxes are installed on the Bee-Line buses in April, passengers can continue to use coins but dollar bills will no longer be accepted.

In addition to the MetroCard Van, a special outreach effort is being made to seniors and to people with disabilities. County workers from the departments of Transportation and Senior Services, and Office for the Disabled, called the “GoTeam,” will be visiting senior centers, nutrition sites and agencies who work with the disabled. They will provide information to their clients on the changes they can expect with the changeover to MetroCard on April 1. Staff will be available to help seniors and the disabled complete the Reduced Fare MetroCard application and to take their photographs, which they will need to get for the new MetroCard identification cards.

A Reduced Fare MetroCard is a permanent personalized MetroCard available to seniors 65 and older and people with qualifying disabilities. Holders, whose pictures appear on the cards, may use them as MetroCard to pay for bus and subway trips at reduced fare rates, or they can use them as identification for reduced fare privileges when they pay with coins.

Staff from Westchester’s Office of Hispanic Affairs will also be making visits to community centers and organizations that serve the Hispanic population to provide them with information on MetroCard.

MetroCard is the automated regional fare collection system managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. It allows transit riders in New York City, Long Island and, starting April 1, in Westchester, to buy a card with a fixed number of rides or one with unlimited rides for a specific period, both at significant discounts. It also offers a free transfer to a Bee-Line bus or to a New York City subway or bus.

For more information on MetroCard, call the Bee-Line hotline at 914-813-7777 or go to www.westchestergov.com.