WESTCHESTER BEE-LINE SYSTEM TO ACCEPT METROCARDS APRIL 1

First step is getting word out to seniors and the disabled

With MetroCard’s debut in Westchester just ten weeks away, county officials are joining with representatives of the MTA New York City Transit Authority to gear up for a county-wide public outreach effort that will kick off with two informational meetings on MetroCard to help seniors and people with disabilities with the transition.

The first meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 24 from 10 a.m. to noon for service providers and agency directors who work with the disabled community. The second meeting, on February 2, will take place during the first hour of the Aging Network’s annual meeting which runs from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Members of the network include members of the seniors’ advisory council, senior council, Public-Private Partnership for Aging Services Board as well as agency directors, volunteers and senior center leaders. More than 300 people are expected to attend both meetings at the County Center in White Plains.

“MetroCard’s arrival in Westchester on April 1 is great news for all who ride the Bee-Line buses,” Westchester County Executive Andy Spano said. “It’s easy to use, costs less and best of all it expands the travel opportunities around the county and in and out of New York City.”

“Because the Reduced Fare MetroCards (RFMs) differ from the cards used by the general public, we need to focus first on educating our senior citizens and disabled riders about the changes they can expect starting April 1 and help make the transition as easy as possible for them, whether or not they choose to sign up for MetroCard,” he said.

Spano said that during the meetings, staff will distribute RFM applications and explain the application process and what documentation is needed to qualify. Attendees will also find out where seniors and the disabled can sign up for a Reduced Fare MetroCard, how to use it and what advantages and savings it provides.
Agency directors and service providers will get the information they need to work with their clients, consumers and their caregivers or guardians prior to the April 1 change-over.

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

When the MetroCard fareboxes are installed on the Bee-Line buses in April, dollar bills will no longer be accepted from any passengers.  The county has also prepared a training bus that will be used to familiarize people with developmental disabilities with correct MetroCard boarding procedures in advance of the April 1 start-up.
Similar outreach and public information efforts will be targeted to the Hispanic community and other identified demographic groups who ride the Bee-Line buses.

County DOT Commissioner Lawrence Salley said that over the next few weeks, the county will roll out an aggressive public information campaign to get the word out about MetroCard to all BeeLine bus riders. The campaign includes promotional materials, signs and hand-outs on all Bee-Line buses, shelter ads, radio and cable television ads, and additional outreach to community groups and organizations.
Signs announcing the change have already been posted in both English and Spanish in Bee-Line buses and information cards are being handed out to riders, he said.

“We’re excited that our Bee-Line riders will soon have the same convenience and discounts that millions of people in the metropolitan area have enjoyed with MetroCard for many years,” Salley said.

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.

Salley said, “What’s most important right now is that our Bee-Line riders know that MetroCard is coming on April 1 and that starting that day they will be able to use MetroCard or continue to use coins, but they will no longer be able to use dollar bills.”

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