My NYC Subway/Bus MetroCard abruptly stopped working in the middle of the day on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Because I am unemployed and have no income, I qualified for a “Fair Fares” MetroCard, which allowed me to pay half the normal price. I received my MetroCard in the U.S. Mail back in mid-January 2025. It was only a few weeks old on the day it stopped working. It was in pristine condition, showing no signs of wear. I always kept in my wallet, away from electronics and other devices that could potentially affect the card’s magnetic stripe.

On Sunday, February 2, 2025, I refilled the card at the Flushing-Main Street Subway Station, paying $17 for one week of unlimited rides. The following Wednesday, while attempting to board a bus, the fare box reported the card was “Invalid.” I tried again on other buses. Finally, a bus driver remarked that, on the screen facing her, the card was showing “voided.”

I returned to the Flushing-Main Street Subway Station and asked the MTA clerk in the ticket booth to read the card. He confirmed the card’s information was readable – meaning it was NOT damaged – but that it had been voided/canceled in their system.

I called the MTA, and I was advised that, since it is a Fair Fares card, I would need to visit the Fair Fares office at 165-08 88th Ave in Jamaica. When I went to the office, the clerk could offer no explanation as to why the card was voided. She did not “have access” to that information. She took the card from me, and assured me that I would receive a replacement in the mail.

Now out the money for a half week’s worth of fares, I had no other choice but to buy a new MetroCard at regular price. With the abundance of threats and anomalies I’ve experienced over the past two years, I have trouble believing this latest curiosity is anything less than oppression from the highest levels. Not that I’ll ever get an honest answer.