New PATH machines

If you travel underground to get to New York City, then you know that there are new PATH card vending machines. They look exactly like the machines the MTA uses for the Subway, Long Island Rail, and Metro North service. I am so glad they did this! The red white and blue contraptions were so old, they barely worked at all. In fact, those things were old when I started taking the PATH at 19 from Newark to Exchange Place to get to work. I’m 30 now.

One reason they are welcome is the obvious newness factor. They have the latest in touch screen technology and I don’t have to push buttons numbered 1, 2, 3, or 4 to select the type of ticket I want. The newer computer parts makes them more responsive than the other ones making my morning rush less dependent on the quickness of the computer inside. The monitor from which people make their selection has a higher resolution making the text crisper and more legible than the older style too. But there are convenience factors as well.

The machines can dispense both path and metro card making the new vending machines a one stop shop for all my New York mass transit needs. The new system will also let you refill your “SmartCard” which is a PATH card with a built in RFID chip in it which, when fully tested, will remove the card insertion process and replace it with a swipe process (much like EZ Pass for the person). But the most convenient thing about the new booths is the credit card payment system.

I don’t carry cash on me. I hate it. Its dirty, bulky, hard to replace, and easy for someone else to use if they take it from you. Credit cards, however, are cleaner, small, lightweight, easily replaced, and harder for a thief to use if stolen. Plus, if charges are made, I’m not liable for them. Newer card systems are so fast, that it takes less time for someone to hand me a receipt than it does them to make change (if they can count at all). Plus, its nice to are how much a year I’m spending on travel expenses and earn Membership Rewards Points from American Express.

So all that was to explain how convenient it us to use credit cards to get my PATH cards than cash.

There are other cool but less noticeable things. Like the economies of scale and discounts the Port Authority gets from using the same system as the MTA. There us also the same look and feel of the interface and construction that makes all those familiar with the NY subway machines more comfortable in using them for the PATH – its the booth that they will go to when looking for a card to travel with.

Its about time Hoboken’s mass transit system got a fresh upgrade.