I never thought of this much until my sister was visiting from out of town, but the sound the turnstile makes when it accepts the card and when it doesn’t are basically the same. The only real difference is the satisfying click sound that accompanies a successful Metrocard swipe. I guess people from out of town aren’t listening for that sound when they swipe.
I want this. I don’t need more things to remember in the morning before I leave the apartment, but if I could have a Metrocard deploying device a la Taxi Driver (or Desperado) I would totally use it. I drew it folding out because it was easier, but if I were to have it in real life it would slide out like in the aforementioned movies.
I wouldn’t say I have it down to a science yet, but I know that sometimes you can swipe too early and by the time you’re pushing the turnstile it still hasn’t kicked in and it’ll stop short for a second and then let you through. But the woman yesterday waited until the “GO” light had completely turned off before swiping her card. Yes, I probably care way way too much about this.
This was actually what really happened when I did this strip, but I realized I could make two comics out of this one scenario. It would make a bit of sense if it said anything else than “twoo fast” or “too slow,” but in this situation it’s just dum
I knew that the turnstiles tell you when you swipe too fast, but until recently at Canal street I saw someone swiping and it also had the too slow message.
This happens periodically, you have an average looking white guy on the other side of the turnstile, he sort of fidgets with his pocket as if he does have his Metrocard somewhere, and then he asks if you can swipe your Metrocard for him. I think people sort of hesitate because if they have an unlimited card they’re really not being inconvenienced all that much, I hesitated the first time but didn’t give in. Of course now I just keep walking without a beat. The inner me wants to ask them for two dollars or tell them that I don’t give homeless people I pass on the street every single day a single penny and he wants something worth two dollars?
Forgot to mention, for those who don’t live in New York, tokens were fazed out over three years ago.
It’s true, I swiped my Metrocard yesterday and my Metrocard does indeed end today. Other than that, I have no worries.
I haven’t lost a fare on a turnstile in years, but I still get irritated if I get the “Swipe again at this turnstile” message because it makes me feel like a newbie at the whole subway thing. 98% of the time I get it on the first swipe, leaving behind the people who don’t quite swipe their Metrocards in the right way. Which is why it’s so irritating/disheartening when I have to swipe multiple times and a person behind me has to either wait that extra couple seconds or even decides that I’m taking so long that they’re going to try the turnstile next to me.
I usually figured that swiping the card at a speed that wasn’t too fast or slow was the optimal speed and that people who tried to do it really fast were just kidding themselves. But one time recently a friend told me to swipe it fast when I didn’t get through on the first two swipes and I felt kind of like sixth panel of this comic. As if my membership would be revoked after this inability to get through on one swipe.
For those of you who aren’t in New York, this is based on an actual ad that the MTA has now. Best I can guess is that apparently some people were swiping their card and then going left, straight into the bars that block that way. These remarkable people must’ve talked to the MTA and asked that this Public Service Announcement was made so that no future people would repeat their mistakes. This is my hope that this is how it turned out, because the thought of them making this sign because of people frequently asking how to use the turnstile would make me cry.
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