Public Employee Press

Transit debit card offers convenience, savings

In January, subway riders will no longer be able to purchase their MetroCards from station clerks, whose presence in booths will decline in 2007 as the Transit Authority continues to automate its services.

Members who don’t want the hassle of using cash to purchase their MetroCards at vending machines should consider signing up for the city’s transit debit card.

Officially known as the TransitBenefit Transportation Spending Account Commuter Savings Card, the debit card lets you use pre-tax earnings to pay for public transportation.

You can get a TSA Card by opening a transportation spending account at work and selecting a deduction plan that meets your needs. If your schedule changes, you can adjust your weekly or bi-weekly deductions, giving you greater flexibility than the Premium MetroCard, another pre-tax transportation benefit that is purchased annually.

Sign up on the Web
The TSA Card is used to make cashless purchases of weekly and monthly Metro-Cards at vending machines. Cardholders have PINs, guaranteeing that no one else can use your card, which you can easily replace if you lose it.

You can sign up for the debit card by logging onto the city’s Web site (nyc.gov) and clicking on “Transit Benefit Program” in the Office of Payroll Administration section. You can also speak to the TransitBenefit coordinator in your employer’s personnel office.

The TSA Card is linked to a transportation spending account administered by the city’s contractor, JPMorgan Chase Bank.

Currently, DC 37 is working with the city and JPMorgan to implement an expansion of the TransitChek program that is provided for under the new collective bargaining agreement.

Members approved the new contract by more than 97 percent in a mail ballot vote over the summer.
The agreement calls for expanding the current transit program to cover the Long Island Rail Road, Long Island MTA buses and MetroNorth transportation carriers.

The parties also agreed to discuss further expansion of the TransitChek program to include other regional carriers.

New contract benefit

The expansion of the transportation benefit dovetails with another provision of the new contract.

The contract calls for an agreement by the city and the union to work together on legislation to ease New York City’s residency restriction in order to allow employees to live in Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Orange, Rockland and Put-nam counties.