New MetroCards now cost $1. Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
The Metropolitan Travel Authority’s $1 fee for reusable MetroCards under their “green fee” program has increased the agency’s revenue.
The MTA sold about 101 million MetroCards in 2012, according to the New York Daily News. The first few months of the program brought in a profit of nearly $11 million, which is expected to rise to $24 million this year.
In addition to extra revenue, MTA is saving $3.8 million in production costs because riders are becoming more “green” and actually reusing their cards.
Officials told the Daily News that about 87 percent of straphangers in May and June reused their MetroCards, a 26 percent increase from March’s figures.
MTA is hoping to reduce its printing by 60 million cards next year, due to the success of the fee.
